The silence between the two was thick—far heavier than the steel walls that separated them.
Vayunesh's voice crackled through the comms, quieter this time. Not mocking. Not smug. But… concerned.
"If you surrender and let me walk out of here alive," he said slowly, deliberately, "then I swear I'll pay for your mother's operation."
Jaya froze.
The words didn't register at first. But when they did, it felt as though something inside him cracked. His heart began to pound violently—so loud he could barely hear anything else. His vision blurred as adrenaline flooded his body, fighting his reason with every beat.
He stammered, voice barely above a whisper.
"H-how can I trust you…?"
There was a pause. Then Vayunesh leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh, his voice steady but no longer cold.
"You can't," he admitted. "Not completely. But think about it logically. If you don't surrender, if we keep fighting… we both die. And your mother dies too. That's a guarantee."
"But if you let me out… there's at least a chance she lives. A chance, Jaya."
Jaya closed his eyes, gripping his trembling fingers together. His entire body was shaking with indecision, his back drenched in sweat.
Vayunesh's voice continued, softer now.
"I know I can't prove that I'll keep my promise. But ask yourself—if both of us die here, what changes for her? Nothing. The doctors won't wait. The money won't come. She'll die alone in that hospital room, waiting for a son who never returns."
Jaya opened his eyes wide, staring at the concrete floor beneath him. His breathing was ragged now. The thought was unbearable.
"But if I escape," Vayunesh pressed on, "if I make it out of here—I can do something. And you and I... we weren't strangers before all this. We were friends, weren't we?"
He leaned forward, speaking with an urgency that was no longer strategic—but human.
"Friends trust each other. Don't they?"
The line fell silent for a few seconds. Jaya's lips parted, but no words came out.
His thoughts were spiraling. His survival. His mother's surgery. The guilt. The fear. The hope. All swirling into a storm that drowned everything else.
"I... I really wanted to live…" Jaya's voice broke. "I don't want to die here, I don't... But I don't know what to do. I can't make this decision—I just… I don't know!"
He covered his mouth, trying to steady his breath as tears pricked the corners of his eyes.
On the other side, Vayunesh replied with a calm that carried no arrogance—just weight.
"It hasn't been more than fifteen minutes. You still have time."
"Use it."