Sagarika

Night had settled over the forest with a suffocating finality, enveloping everything until even the outlines of the trees disappeared into a dense, impenetrable blackness.

It pressed down on me from all sides, stealing away any sense of distance or direction, leaving only the awareness of movement and the constant, terrifying presence of the men surrounding us.

Their guns never shifted, not even for a second, and although the darkness hid them from view, it did nothing to lessen the threat they posed. In fact, it became worse, because now I could feel them more than see them.

The rain came without warning.

One moment the air was heavy and still, and the next it was as though the sky had split open, releasing a relentless curtain of water that drenched us within seconds.

It was not the kind of rain I was used to, not the gentle or even steady downpour of the plains, but something wilder, harsher, as though the mountains themselves were pouring water down upon us.

It soaked through my clothes instantly, plastering the fabric against my skin, turning every movement into an effort as the trail beneath our feet dissolved into thick, clinging mud.

And then, just as suddenly, it stopped.

Fifteen minutes, perhaps less.

But it was enough.

Enough to leave us soaked, shivering, and struggling to keep our footing as we were forced onward.

I had long since lost count of how many times I had stumbled. On top of that, I was conscious of men's eyes on me. I literally hated it.

"Wear your jacket," Siddh said, and I realised that it was a solution, but why hadn't I thought of it?

Maybe because I was shocked beyond my limit.

At first, I had tried to hold onto hope, telling myself that by now the others must have reached the hotel, that the alarm would have been raised, that someone would come looking for us. But even as I clung to those thoughts, I knew how fragile they were. It would take at least four hours for them to reach the hotel and then four to five more hours to come looking for us, by then we could be anywhere in this endless stretch of forest.

The deeper we went, the more the jungle seemed to close in around me, tightening like a fist. With every step, my nerves stretched tighter, until I felt as though I might break under the pressure.

I might have.

If Siddh had not caught my arm.

His grip was firm, steady, grounding in a way that cut through the rising panic inside me. An hour earlier, I would have recoiled from such familiarity, would have resented it, but now I found myself clinging to it in a way I could not deny. It was a reminder that I was not alone, that there was someone solid to hold onto in the middle of this nightmare.

“Faster.”

The command came sharply, and before I could react, I felt the cold press of a gun against my side. I flinched, my steps faltering as I tried to increase my pace, my already exhausted body protesting every movement. Beside me, Siddh adjusted instantly, matching my speed, his grip tightening slightly as though he could somehow lend me his strength.

The pace was brutal.

Every muscle in my body ached, my breath came in shallow, painful bursts, and even something as simple as walking felt like an ordeal I could no longer endure. And yet, Siddh seemed untouched by it all. His breathing remained steady, his movements controlled, as though the relentless climb, the rain, the exhaustion had no hold over him at all.

I stumbled again when the path began to rise, my foot slipping in the mud as I lost my balance and fell forward, my body hitting the ground harder than I had expected. Pain shot through me, sharp and immediate, and for a moment I simply lay there, unable to gather the strength to move.

Above me, I heard laughter.

Cruel. Cheap comments. Unforgiving.

The sound broke something inside me, and tears filled my eyes before I could stop them. I wish my brothers were here.

“Get up.” Siddh’s voice cut through everything, hard and unyielding.

“I can’t go any further,” I said weakly, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

“Oh yes, you can,” he replied, his tone grim and absolute. “And you will, unless you want to be left here to die. These men are not playing games, and they will not wait for you. Now get up. I value my life even if you do not value yours.”

The words stung, not because they were cruel, but because they were true.

He had spoken so quietly that I had had difficulty in hearing him, but he was not affected by the hiking and once again I remembered how much physical exercise he used to do in a day and then that boxing practice...

'It's all right for you to say this as you're used to this. You. ..' I protested bitterly, but the rest of my words disappeared and my breath was cut off savagely as I was hauled to my feet and held against him, before I could respond, his grip strong as he steadied me, and for a moment I found myself too close to him, too aware of his presence, his warmth, the faint scent of him that somehow cut through the dampness of the forest.