The iron grip tightened around my throat. I struggled to breathe, my fingers desperately clawing at his hand as my vision began to fracture and blur. His strength was absolute, an immovable force of nature, and for the first time, I felt the true, suffocating weight of his cold, calculated rage.
"LET HIM GO, ZAFAR!" Iqbal Sahab's voice tore through the air, a desperate scream for mercy.
Zafar didn't even flinch. He ignored him entirely, his focus pinned on the life fading from my eyes.
"ZAFAR!!" Iqbal Sahab screamed again, the name echoing with raw authority.
This time, something shifted. The murderous tension in Zafar's face flickered; the hard lines of his features softened ever so slightly, and the crushing pressure on my windpipe eased.
Suddenly, a stone struck Zafar squarely on the head.
The shock forced his hand to release me. He whipped his head toward the source of the projectile, and without a word, he took off, sprinting toward the shadows from which the stone had emerged.
I collapsed onto the dirt, my lungs burning as I heaved, coughing violently. Through my blurred vision, I watched Zafar reach the clearing. There, a girl on a white horse was already galloping away into the distance.
Zafar skidded to a halt, staring after her in sheer disbelief.
"Oh... Kinz!"
Frustration boiled over, and he smashed his fist into a massive rock with bone-shattering force.
I was still on the ground, struggling to regain my breath, when Zafar returned. I froze as he approached, but he was alone. I let out a shaky breath of relief.
"EVERYONE GET BACK TO WORK!" Zafar bellowed, his voice vibrating through the workplace.
*Earlier that day*
When we reached the site, the morning shift was just beginning, and the area was relatively empty. I moved toward my station, but a soft whisper stopped me.
"Bilal!" It was Aliza.
I spun around, scanning the area, but saw no one. I stepped behind a large rock formation, and there she was, standing with a triumphant smile.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed, my anger flaring from the morning's trauma.
"I brought milk for you and Iqbal Sahab," she said simply, holding out a bottle. "You need energy for this kind of work."
"ARE YOU CRAZY?" I whispered-yelled, looking around frantically.
"Why are you acting like this?" She said, Her expression fell into a pout.
I grabbed her arm, pulling her deeper into the shadows. "You shouldn't be here. This place is dangerous. If you want to give us something, do it at the jail, but never here! What if someone sees you?"
"That's why I came so early," she countered. "No one was here yet, and Zafar was still asleep. I thought I'd be quick." She said.
"Never come here again. Do you understand? NEVER!" I said, firmly.
"Fine... here," she sighed, handing me the bottle.
I snatched it from her. "I'm taking it today, but I won't touch it again if you show up here."
"Okay," she smiled softly.
"And take the bottle back with you. If they find it, there will be trouble." I said.
"Fine, fine," she sang the words out.
I uncapped the bottle and drank it down quickly while she watched me. When I finished, I handed the empty container back to her.
"Ehh!" she exclaimed.
"What?" I asked.
"That was for Iqbal Sahab too!" She said, annoyed.
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling. "Oh. It's fine. He's used to it." I said, awkwardly, trying to cover up my mistake.
She let out an exhausted sigh. "Unbelievable."
"Now go. Get out of here," I said, waving her away.
"Okay!" she replied, turning to vanish into the morning mist.
*Present*
"It must be her," I whispered to myself.
Behind the bars of our cell, the silence was heavy. "Iqbal Sahab, has Aliza ever come to the workplace before?" I asked.
"Yes, once or twice," he replied solemnly. "Usually when I was very ill and couldn't eat."
"I see." I said.
"Do you think it was Aliza who threw the stone at Zafar?" Iqbal Sahab asked, his eyes searching mine.
"Yeah. I mean, who else could it have been?" I said thoughtfully.
The sound of the heavy door creaking open interrupted us.
"BILAL!" Aliza rushed toward the bars, her face etched with worry. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said, leaning closer. "Was it you? Did you throw that stone at Zafar?"
A small, knowing smile played on her lips.
"Are you mad?" I snapped. "I told you to leave immediately! What were you still doing there at that hour?"
"Well... you drank Iqbal Sahab's share of the milk," she said defensively. "I had to go back to get more for him."
I glared at her, speechless at her recklessness.
"So, you two have been up to this even out there?" Iqbal Sahab remarked, shaking his head.
"I told you never to come back, and you returned the very same day!" I shouted.
"Before you scold me, look at your own actions!" Aliza fired back, her eyes flashing. "What was the need to misbehave with Zafar, huh?"
I turned my face away in a huff, refusing to answer.
"If you keep acting like this, I won't be able to protect you," she warned.
I let out a sarcastic laugh. "Protect? Me? I don't need your protection, Aliza!"
"Same here! I don't need yours either, Bilal," she retorted. "I will go wherever I please, and I will help you and Iqbal Sahab however I can."
I stared at her, silenced by her stubbornness.
"From now on, only help Iqbal Sahab," I muttered, meeting her gaze. "Because I'm not asking you for anything anymore."
"Both of you, stop fighting!" Iqbal Sahab intervened. "And Aliza, daughter, Bilal is right. Your presence there is incredibly dangerous."
I nodded, gesturing for her to listen to Iqbal Sahab.
"Iqbal Sahab, tell him to fix his behavior then!" she complained, her brow furrowed.
"He is right, Bilal. You must stop these provocations. What you did today was a grave mistake."
Aliza shot me a smug, wide smile.
"Whatever," I muttered, looking away. "I didn't think he'd dare kill me without Ahmed Khan's permission."
"If Zafar did that, Ahmed Khan would punish him," Aliza noted.
"See! I was right," I said, feeling a spark of vindication.
"Yes... but when Zafar loses his temper, he doesn't care about Ahmed Khan's punishments. He does whatever his heart desires. He would have killed you right then and there if I hadn't saved you."
I paused, narrowed my eyes at her. "How do you know so much about Zafar?"
Aliza's eyes darted away, avoiding my stare. "It's late. I should go," she said, starting to stand.
"I asked you a question." I said coldly.
"I asked how you ended up here, and you never told me," she countered. "So why should I tell you?"
"Ugh! Why are you like this?" I groaned in frustration.
"Because you are the way you are," she teased, making a face at me.
"Fine," I conceded. "I'll tell you everything about myself, but only if you both tell me your stories."
Aliza smiled. "Okay. Deal."
I looked at Iqbal Sahab. "I have no objection," he agreed.
"Then tell me," I said, focusing on Aliza. "How do you know Zafar so well?"
"Iqbal Sahab should go first," she deflected.
"I'll talk to him later. You're the one who has to leave," I insisted.
"He's right, Aliza," Iqbal Sahab added.
Aliza's face darkened with a touch of sadness. "Fine. Zafar and I... we used to be best friends."
"What? That piece of trash was your best friend?" I asked, stunned.
Iqbal Sahab's expression didn't change, like he already knew.
"He wasn't always trash. He was a good person once," she began, her voice soft. "When he was eight, his parents died, and Ahmed Khan brought him into his home. We used to have so much fun together, looking out for one another."
"You lived in Ahmed Khan's house?" I asked.
She nodded. "My father was the head cook for Ahmed Khan. I grew up there."
"And then?" I asked further.
"And then," her voice grew heavy with melancholy, "Ahmed Khan took him away when he was fourteen for training. When he came back five years later, he was a completely different person. He wasn't the Zafar who played with me anymore."
"That piece of shit," I spat.
"There's one thing you forgot to tell them, Kinz."
The voice came from the shadows behind us—cold, sharp, and unmistakable. I spun around, my heart dropping into my stomach.
Zafar was standing there.
He stepped toward the bars, moving close to Aliza. "You forgot to mention that I love you."
Zafar turned his gaze toward me, his eyes burning with a mixture of hatred and amusement. Then he looked at Iqbal Sahab, who had turned pale with fear. Zafar began to laugh—a low, dark sound.
"I saw you leaving this morning," Zafar said, looking at Aliza. "I knew I'd find you here eventually." He paused, looking at the three of us. "Now... what should I do with the three of you?"
He reached out, his finger poking Aliza's shoulder. "Especially you."
"DON'T TOUCH HER!" I roared, slamming my fists against the bars.
"Shut up," Zafar snapped, his voice dripping with disdain. "You're nothing but talk."
He turned his attention back to the Iqbal sahab. "And you, Iqbal Sahab... you are the root of all this trouble."
Iqbal Sahab lowered his head, unable to meet his eyes. Without another word, Zafar grabbed Aliza's arm in a vice grip.
"Let me go!" Aliza struggled.
"Let her go, Zafar!" I screamed, shaking the bars with everything I had.
But Zafar ignored me, dragging Aliza away into the darkness.