{THIRD PERSON}

2015

Somewhere in Ghaziabad

"Die, die, die," she cried out, pulling the trigger until the agonizing sound of his breath faded into silence. He clutched the gaping wound in his chest as he collapsed, his eyes fixed on the small girl before him who dared to pull the trigger. She trembled at the sight of life ebbing away from his bloodshot gaze, the gun slipping from her grip and clattering to the ground.

"It’s okay, it’s okay, nothing happened," the voice came from her partner who now stood in front of her, grasping the sobbing girl by the shoulders. "Look at me," she insisted, forcing the girl’s head to meet her own. "Nothing happened here. You escaped before he got here, understand?" With gentle hands, she wiped the splatters of blood from the little girl's face and ushered her toward the shattered window.

"No, I won’t leave you here!" the girl protested, struggling against her hold.

"It’s okay! Someone is coming to take me too," she lied, though in truth, no one was coming. "Go out the back door we found that day and take this with you." She slipped the knife, hidden near her ankle, into the girl's trembling hands.

"But you..." The girl’s stubbornness flared again.

"Shhh... listen to me for once, will you? We don’t have much time, Khusi. You need to go and remember: you saw nothing today. You escaped through the window and never looked back. You’re the only one who was captive here, got it?"

Tears pooled in the girl's eyes as her lips quivered. "Will you come to me? Will we meet again?" Hope flickered faintly in her gaze.

"Yes, I will, but only if you forget about me for now. Promise me you will?" She extended her pinky, a gesture they had shared countless times before. The little girl, though reluctant, sealed the promise with her own.

With a soft smile, she pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead. "Go, and don’t look back." The girl obeyed, sliding through the narrow window without a second glance. She let out a heavy sigh as she watched the child's retreating figure disappear into the night.

As the weight of solitude settled around her, she picked up the gun from the floor, just as the door burst open. A throng of men flooded the room, surrounding her and the lifeless body beside her.

"Kill her."

She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable.

*Shot, shot, shot.*

The final sounds of gunfire echoed in her ears as darkness enveloped her.