**Deeper into the Forest**
The darkness had grown even thicker now. Torchlight felt faint and feeble.
Anurag Sir ran ahead.
Anirban Sir and the other teachers tried to hold him back—
but with one sharp jerk, he broke free and plunged deeper into the forest alone.
Thick mist had settled over the mountainside. The air carried a strange, biting cold.
Anurag Sir was now completely alone in the depths of the jungle.
He wore only his black jacket, a small bag over his shoulder, torch in hand.
His breathing had grown heavy, yet he refused to stop.
One name rested constantly on his lips, beating in his heart—
"Sneha…! Where are you…!"
All around: the damp, earthy smell, slippery wet roots underfoot.
Anurag Sir kept running anyway.
He was frantic, disheveled.
Every step carried fear.
Again and again, terrifying thoughts assaulted him—
perhaps Sneha's hypoglycemia had caused her sugar to crash… or maybe she couldn't protect herself from some wild animal…
His breath came in hot gasps, throat parched.
But the calling never stopped—
"Sneha… Sneha…! My Sneha…!"
After so much searching without finding her, Anurag Sir broke down and began to cry.
"Where are you, Sneha?"
All around: the drone of insects, occasional distant roars of animals.
His feet ached, throat burned. The pain was unbearable, yet his mind pushed it aside relentlessly.
Suddenly—
The torch beam fell on a bush.
On the ground, curled tightly into a ball, someone lay motionless.
Hair disheveled, body trembling…
Her top was nearly torn, scratches visible on her shoulder, blood seeping from the knee of her ripped jeans.
Eyes swollen, lips dry, face smeared with dirt.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, body huddled tight against the intense cold.
Scratches marked her arms and legs—some fresh, others crusted with dried blood.
Sneha.
For one long moment, Anurag Sir stood frozen.
Then, in agony, he dropped to his knees beside her.
"Sneha… I… I'm here."
His voice cracked, words catching in his throat.
Sneha's eyelids fluttered…
Slowly…
she opened her eyes—
but everything was blurred.
In a trembling whisper she said,
"Sir… is it really you?"
Her voice carried disbelief, terror, and a deep wave of relief all at once.
Anurag Sir touched her cheek—ice-cold.
"I'm here… look, I'm right here. Don't be afraid. Nothing will happen to you."
Sneha's voice was so faint it could have dissolved into the wind.
"Sir… I… I knew… you would come…"
Just those few words—
twisted something deep inside Anurag Sir's chest.
Sitting on the ground, he gently lifted Sneha into his arms with both hands.
Tears welled in Anurag Sir's eyes. A few drops fell onto Sneha's forehead.
Sneha was stunned. Sir was crying for her!
Without wasting a second, Anurag Sir removed his jacket and wrapped it around her.
Then he opened his bag, took out glucose powder, mixed it into a water bottle, and carefully held it to her lips.
"Drink slowly…"
Sneha sipped the glucose weakly.
Tears filled her eyes.
She placed her frozen, trembling hand in his.
"I thought… I wouldn't survive, Sir…"
Her voice broke with sobs, terror still clinging to her throat.
The horror of those moments in the forest was clear in her eyes.
"I called so many times… no one came…"
Anurag Sir gently brushed the hair from her face.
He placed his hand on her forehead—icy cold.
"Calm down. I'm here now. Nothing will happen to you."
Anurag Sir took out the first-aid kit from his bag.
Very slowly, careful not to cause her any more pain, he began cleaning the wounds on her hands.
Sneha winced slightly from the pain.
Anirban Sir paused and asked softly,
"Does it hurt?"
Sneha shook her head, crying as she spoke—
"No, Sir… it doesn't hurt…"
Those words—
made Anurag Sir's chest tighten. He knew she was in pain.
Anurag Sir said gently,
"If it hurts, tell me."
---
Sir carefully bandaged her wounds.
Every time Sneha winced in pain, his heart ached terribly.
Sir asked her how she ended up here.
Sneha, in a faint voice,
"Sir… they… they pushed me… from the top of the hill…"
Hearing the full story, Anurag Sir became furious.
How could those girls dare do such a thing!
Because of their madness, Sneha could have died!
---
**A Little While Later**
Anurag Sir slowly lifted Sneha into his arms, cradling her against his chest.
Sneha rested her head on his shoulder. Tears kept falling as she whispered softly—
"Sir…"
Anurag Sir held her with infinite tenderness.
"Yes, Sneha… tell me."
His voice overflowed with boundless affection.
Sneha said,
"Sir… carrying me like this… it must be tiring for you."
Sir smiled gently.
"It's not tiring at all. Don't worry."
---
**Deep in the Forest — 10:30 PM**
The mist had thickened the air even more. The cold was so intense that every breath formed white vapor.
The moon hid behind clouds; only the endless chirping of crickets and distant animal calls filled the night.
Anurag Sir's breathing was labored, shoulders strained—yet he didn't stop.
Sneha was still in his arms.
She trembled half-conscious, lips blue, body numb from the cold.
Suddenly, in the torchlight, something glinted far ahead—
an old wooden house, half-ruined, deep in the forest, overgrown with vines on one side.
Stone steps led to the door, walls cracked, windowpanes broken.
Anurag Sir exhaled with relief.
"There… it looks like shelter… we need to rest a little."
He walked slowly toward the house, holding Sneha tightly against his chest.
The air smelled of old wood, insects buzzed, and somewhere far off an unknown bird cried out.
The door hung half-open.
Sir pushed it with his shoulder—
*creeeaaak…*
Inside: darkness.
But in the torchlight he saw—
dust-covered floor, a broken chair in the corner, an old table on one side, and in the center, a wooden bed with some old mattresses laid on it.
Sir didn't hesitate for a moment.
He brushed the dust off the bed and gently, carefully laid Sneha down.
Her eyes were half-open, lips bluish.
Wounds on her shoulder, body shivering lightly.
Anurag Sir took out a small matchbox from his bag.
An old lantern sat on the table, covered in dust. He wiped it, lit the wick.
In an instant the room filled with warm yellow light.
In the midst of terrible cold, that glow felt like a blessing.
Sir secured the broken wooden door as best he could.
It would have to protect them from wild animals until morning.
But one thing was certain—Sir would not sleep tonight.
He would stay awake all night, guarding Sneha.
To be continued...