Next Day

Mumbai was in chaos.

From newspapers to every major news channel, only one headline dominated the city.

₹1000 Crore Black Vault Scam Exposed

Cash worth ₹1000 crore was allegedly being smuggled under the guise of medical equipment.

The morning sun cast a golden glow over the towering buildings of Mumbai.

The huge 24×7 News logo stood proudly atop one of them.

Inside the newsroom, the atmosphere was no less chaotic.

Reporters rushed from one desk to another, some chasing breaking news while others debated celebrity gossip and the latest fashion trends.

Amidst all the commotion, a woman sat quietly in the corner cabin.

Her fingers danced effortlessly across the keyboard as she occasionally took a sip of her coffee.

A spark of mischief shone in her eyes, while a beautiful smile rested on her lips, one capable of captivating anyone. Completely engrossed in her work, she barely noticed the chaos around her.

"You are insane, Shravani! Tujhe darr-varr lagta hai ki nahi?"

A dramatic voice interrupted her concentration as a girl pulled a chair beside her.

Shravani let out a sigh.

"Neeta, main bhi insaan hoon. Toh definitely darr toh lagta hi hai na."

Neeta stared at her in disbelief.

"Mujhe toh laga tu Superwoman hai! I mean, tune itna bada scam expose kiya... woh bhi akele. Yaar, tu sach mein pagal hai. Agar kuch gadbad ho jaati toh?"

Concern was evident in Neeta's voice.

Shravani simply smiled before taking another sip of her coffee.

"Agar gadbad ho jaati toh aaj meri photo newspaper ke front page pe hoti."

Neeta glared at her.

"Not funny, Shravani."

Shravani raised both her hands dramatically.

"Accha baba... sorry. Waise bhi journalist ki life mein risk toh free mein milta hai."

Both of them laughed.

Just then, her phone vibrated. An unknown number. She glanced at the screen.

Her smile disappeared.

Without saying a word, she rejected the call, switched off the phone, and slipped it back into her bag.

The cheerful Shravani was back the very next second.

"Chal, coffee khatam kar. Editor sir phir lecture denge."

Neeta rolled her eyes.

"Tu kabhi nahi sudhregi."

Shravani only smiled.

"Accha, listen. Police ne apna kaam shuru kar diya hai, but please be alert. Woh log normal nahi the. Aur mujhe lagta hai ki woh tumhe itni aasani se chain se jeene nahi denge. I think you should ask for police protection." Neeta said, her concern evident.

Shravani looked up from her laptop before letting out a small laugh.

"Police protection?. Kya hoga aam logo ka jab journalist ko hi police protection ki jarurat padne Lage."

Neeta frowned.

"Joke mat kar, Shravani. Main serious hoon."

Shravani sighed, closing her laptop.

"I know. Aur main careful rahungi, promise. Waise bhi, ab police investigation handle kar rahi hai. Mera kaam tha sach saamne lana, jo maine kar diya."

Neeta was still unconvinced.

"Phir bhi... mujhe bilkul achhi feeling nahi aa rahi."

Shravani smiled reassuringly and gently squeezed her hand.

"Don't worry. Main theek hoon. Itni jaldi meri kismat kharab nahi hone wali."

Neeta shook her head.

"Bas apna khayal rakhna."

"Yes, ma'am." Shravani saluted dramatically, making Neeta roll her eyes despite herself.

***********************

Night – 12:01 A.M.

"Yaar, Shravani, it's late. Main ghar jaa rahi hoon. Tu bhi nikal," Neeta said as she packed her things.

"Okay, bye. Tu jaa, main thodi der mein nikalti hoon," Shravani replied, her eyes still fixed on the laptop screen.

Neeta sighed, knowing there was no point arguing with her.

"Fine. But message kar dena ghar pahunchte hi."

"Yes, ma'am," Shravani replied.

Shaking her head with a smile, Neeta left the newsroom.

A few minutes later, Shravani finally shut down her laptop, packed her belongings, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked out of the office.

The once bustling newsroom had fallen silent. Only the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock echoed through the empty floor as she stepped into the corridor.

Finally, she reached her house. Parking her scooty outside, she walked towards the main door.

An unusual silence surrounded the entire area tonight.

Shravani frowned.

Usually, the porch light was always on. She reached the door, took out her keys, and unlocked it.

The house was engulfed in complete darkness.

"Yeh itna andhera kyun hai? Avik?" she called out.

Silence.

No response.

A slight frown appeared on her face.

"Avik...?" she called again, this time a little louder.

Still nothing.

Assuming he was asleep. she slowly made her way towards the switchboard. Her fingers searched the wall until they found the switch.

Click.

The lights flickered to life and she froze. She stood rooted to the spot.

Five men were sitting casually in her living room, each holding a gun as if they owned the place.

"Ka... kaun ho tum log? Aur mere ghar mein kya kar rahe ho?" she demanded, trying to sound brave despite the fear creeping into her voice. The man seated in the middle looked up and smiled.

Slowly, he rose from the sofa.

Without uttering a word, he closed the distance between them in just a few strides. Shravani instinctively took a step back.

Before she could move any farther, he grabbed her wrist firmly and pulled her towards him.

She gasped.

He raised the gun, tilting it just enough beneath her chin to force her to meet his gaze.

A smirk played on his lips.

"Itni jaldi bhool gayi, babydoll?" he said in a low voice.

Shravani's eyes widened in shock.

Sweat beaded across her forehead as she stared at the man standing before her.

"R... Raghu..." she whispered, finally recognizing him.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

She had only seen him from a distance that night at Mumbai Port and listen his voice on call when he warn her to stay away from his business. The darkness, the distance, and the few fleeting seconds she'd managed to observe him before escaping had prevented her from recognizing him immediately.

But now...

Standing barely inches away from him, there was no room for doubt.

It was him.

Raghu.

The man behind the Black Vault operation.

A slow grin spread across Raghu's face.

"Finally you recognised waise raghu bhulne wali cheez hai bhi nahi "

His fingers tightened around her wrist. Shravani glared at him, refusing to let her fear show.

"Mere ghar mein ghusne ki himmat kaise hui tumhari?"

Raghu let out a low chuckle.

"Himmat?"

He tilted his head slightly.

"Babydoll... himmat toh tumne dikhayi hai."

His expression darkened.

"Ek akeli ladki hote hue bhi meri shipment ki photos kheench li... aur agle hi din poore Mumbai mein meri beizzati karwa di."

Shravani swallowed but kept her gaze fixed on him.

"Beizzati hone ke liye pehle izzat hona zaroori hai"

The smile vanished from Raghu's face. For a moment, silence engulfed the room.

Then...

Thud!

Raghu slammed the butt of his gun onto the nearby table, making Shravani flinch.

The men behind him instinctively straightened.

Raghu simply stared at her.

Then he laughed.

A slow...

Cold...

Terrifying laugh.

"Isi zubaan ki wajah se toh tum abhi tak zinda ho..."

His eyes locked onto hers.

"...dekhte hain yeh zubaan aur kitni der tak chalti hai."

The room fell into an eerie silence.

Raghu's laughter slowly faded.

Without breaking eye contact, he took another step closer. Shravani instinctively stepped back until her back hit the wall.

There was nowhere left to go.

Raghu casually twirled a loose strand of her hair around his finger before letting it fall.

"Bahut himmat hai tum mein..." he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Shravani jerked her head away, her face tightening with disgust. A smirk tugged at Raghu's lips.

"Darr lag raha hai?"

She clenched her jaw.

"Mujhe haath mat lagana."

Instead of answering, Raghu slowly brushed a speck of dust off her shoulder as if he had every right to invade her space.

Shravani immediately shrugged his hand away.

"Stay away from me!" she snapped.

The smile on Raghu's face widened.

"Bas itni si baat se gussa?"

He tilted his head.

"Kal raat jab meri duniya mein ghusne ki himmat ki thi... tab toh itni himmat thi."

His expression turned cold.

"Ab meri baari hai."

He took a step back and gestured toward the room.

"Pata hai, Shravani... logon ko lagta hai sach likhne se duniya badal jaati hai."

His eyes hardened.

"Lekin kabhi-kabhi ek sach... kisi ki poori zindagi badal deta hai."

Shravani met his gaze without lowering her eyes.

"You can't stop me ."

Raghu chuckled.

"Dekhte hain... kitni der tak."

He finally released her wrist and hair walking towards the sofa as if he were the owner of the house. One of his men immediately moved aside and Raghu sat down comfortably, crossing one leg over the other.

Shravani quickly stepped away from him, rubbing her wrist.

"Tum yaha kyu aaye ho ?" she asked, trying to steady her voice.

Raghu leaned back and looked around the room.

"Nice house. Chhota hai... par sukoon hai yahan."

His gaze returned to her.

"Afsos... sukoon zyada der tak nahi tikta."

Shravani clenched her fists.

"Seedhi baat karo."

Raghu smiled.

"Fine babydoll. Tumne jo photos liye the... woh mujhe chahiye."

She laughed mockingly.

"Saare saboot already saamne hai abb un photos ka kya kaam".

"Do you really think I am a fool, I am not talking about shipment photos mujhe woh photos chahiye joh tumne 1 week pehle liye the". He said gritting his teeth.

"Maine kaha na, mere paas kuch nahi hai!" she yelled.

A sinister smile crept onto his lips.

Once again, he strode towards her.

Before she could react, he caught her hair in his fist, tilting her face upwards.

"Aaah..." she gasped in pain.

Raghu's eyes roamed over her face before stopping at her neck. A sinister smile crept onto his lips.

"Waise ek baat bolu... You are really beautiful... and..." he moved his face closer.

"...hot," he muttered.

Shravani's eyes widened with fear. She tried to jerk herself free, but his grip on her hair tightened.

"Humare beech tu akeli hai. Hum chahe toh kuch bhi kar sakte hain," he said through gritted teeth.

Tears of pain welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

He signalled with his fingers.

One of his men immediately walked towards the inner room.

A few moments later, he returned, dragging along a nineteen-year-old boy.

Shravani's eyes widened.

"Avik..." she muttered.

"Aur tera yeh bhai bhi nahi bachega," Raghu said, finally removing his hand from her hair.

"Di... Di!" Avik shouted, struggling in the man's grip. "Leave her!"

Raghu took a step towards him.

"Tch... tch..." he clicked his tongue. "You love your di too much."

He looked at Avik before shifting his gaze to Shravani.

"So, tell her to listen to me. Warna mujhe ek second nahi lagega to destroy her that too..."

Raghu slowly leaned closer to Avik".... infront of her own brother."

A cruel smirk appeared on his lips. Behind him, Shravani stood frozen in panic.

Now, she had to save not only herself but her brother as well.

Slowly, without making a sound, she began taking cautious steps towards the switchboard.

Raghu was too busy threatening Avik to notice her movement when the entire house was plunged into darkness.

"What the fuck. Turn on the damn lights!" Raghu roared.

*************************

The streets were engulfed in silence.

It was already late night, and the monsoon rain drizzled steadily, leaving the roads almost deserted.

Two figures ran relentlessly through the narrow streets, their footsteps echoing in the quiet night.

After a few minutes, they finally stopped, realizing they had put enough distance between themselves and the goons.

Both of them were breathing heavily.

"Avik, listen to me carefully," Shravani said, her voice unusually serious.

She opened her handbag, took out a small metallic chip, and placed it in Avik's trembling hand.

"You know where to go."

"But Di... they will definitely reach us."

"Don't worry. Just take this safely to its place. I'll distract them."

"No, Di! Main aapko chhor kar kahin nahi jaunga. I don't want to lose you," he said, tears streaming down his face.

Shravani's expression softened. She gently cupped his face.

"Hey, Avik... listen, please."

She wiped away his tears with her thumb.

"We can't afford to be weak right now. Agar saath rahe, toh bach nahi payenge."

She forced a faint smile despite the fear in her own eyes.

"Tu hamesha kehta tha na ki main sab sambhal leti hoon? Toh iss baar bhi mujh par bharosa kar."

Avik shook his head repeatedly.

"Nahi..."

"Please, Avik."

Her voice cracked for the first time. Avik looked at the metallic chip in his hand before looking back at his sister.

His fingers tightened around it.

**************************

Raghu and his men continued searching for them.

Suddenly, one of them spotted a girl running inside an abandoned warehouse.

A sinister smirk appeared on Raghu's lips.

"There..." he muttered.

Inside the warehouse, Shravani hid behind a large shipping container.

Her hands trembled uncontrollably.

Her eyes had turned red from fear and exhaustion. Sweat trickled down her forehead despite the cool monsoon breeze. She pressed a hand against her mouth, trying to muffle the sound of her uneven breathing.

Then...

A loud creaking sound echoed through the warehouse as the massive gate slowly opened.

The sound of heavy footsteps reverberated through the empty building.

Her heartbeat quickened.

She instinctively took another cautious step backwards, disappearing deeper into the darkness.

Raghu and his men entered the warehouse. He slowly scanned the surroundings before signalling one of his men.

Without a word, the man pulled down the heavy shutter.

Bang!

The metallic sound echoed throughout the warehouse, trapping everyone inside.

Shravani shut her eyes for a brief second.

She knew...

There was no way out now.

Silence engulfed the warehouse.

Then, a piercing scream shattered the stillness, echoing through the abandoned building.

****************

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