Dedicated to @Ayesha066 who requested an alternate, sad ending 🤣 Read if you guys want and let me know how it goes! First half is the same.
Chapter 5 [Alternate]
The New Moon Creates a New Beginning
He didn’t need to think long for his answer. There was a price he had to pay for his mistake. By giving up his own life, she could live.
The rain beat against the walls of the cabin, bearing down harder by the hour. Even the sky was crying over his fate. He stared aimlessly into the raging fireplace, dangling a piece of firewood by the tip between his fingers. A sharp piece of wood. A vampire’s invitation to death.
He deserved death. She didn’t.
“I’m sorry, Piya. My love for you ended up becoming the reason for your demise.”
He now knew why she always avoided the question. Always looked away, or diverted his attention towards something else. She never wanted him to feel the guilt. But all that effort of hers went down the drain. He now held that cursed knowledge. All this time, the universe was pulling the strings in the background.
Not knowing how to face her, for each night till the new moon, he avoided his cabin around the usual time of her arrival. Avoiding her as she looked for him. If she had the slightest idea of what he was going to do, or if he stood face to face with her again, he wouldn’t have the strength to do it. And now the fateful night had arrived, no moon to cast its light between the canopy of trees. Soon he would see this darkness himself. Forever.
Haseena, Chand, and the elders walked to the outer barrier together. Abhay was to be freed tonight at the hour, but he was nowhere to be found. They stopped near Piya’s grave, and saw the trail of red spider lilies.
“The flower of death.” An elder said, kneeling to examine the flower at the start of the trail. “Recently bloomed.”
“Is Piya’s spirit….” Haseena asked halfway, seeing a similar one blossoming upon her grave. Chand looked at her and nodded.
“She must be wandering. Then Abhay….” Chand looked up towards the barrier, with no sight of their son. He had written in the letter for him to meet them here. Perhaps he was gathering his things, all those books Haseena sent with the letters. “We should go to the cabin. Perhaps he’s there.”
Haseena nodded, and the elders followed their lead. The sound of frantic chimes came rushing towards them halfway down the path. Everyone stood on guard, already unsettled by the flowers. But it was nothing that could harm them, just a girl looking for the man she loved. And how could that girl not recognize the Raichands?
“Piya!” Haseena called out, eyes wide. Without hesitation, Piya ran into them, pointing towards Abhay’s cabin. She looked worried, and tried to hurry them down the flower path. She couldn't get past the trees that surrounded the cabin, for some reason. And this was her last night to see him. She wanted to say goodbye, properly.
“She wants us to follow the path. We must hurry.”
The path became dark, so dark that the only light came from the ominous glow of the flowers. Even the vampires couldn’t see. But Piya could, and she tried to run as fast as her feet could carry, leaving the rest behind. She could feel herself fading into nothingness, as the call from above began to strengthen.
Don’t take me yet. I want to see him. Just one last time.
His cabin was in sight, but an ugly darkness began to surround it. A barrier threw her back, and caged her in front and back. Before her eyes, Abhay stood quietly in the center. He looked up, knowing she was there, surrounded by a spectre sent to fulfil the exchange. Seeing the worry in her eyes, his heart began to waver.
He hated that. He needed to keep his resolve.
For her. Do it for her.
“Stop caring for this monster, Piya. Forget me.”
She looked up, eyes wide. By then, she started to get inklings of what was happening. Why was no one else there yet? She wished for someone to stop him. Her limbs were shaking. She pounded on the barriers surrounding her, trying to scream his name. Lacking a voice to call him back with, her hand angrily grasped her throat, wanting it to make a sound.
“I….killed you…..with these very hands. They don’t deserve to hold you.”
She shook her head. He was full of self-loathing, and immense hurt. Every silent shout of hers bloomed another red spider lily. The distance between them grew larger. He was moving away from her, towards that distant shore.
This was her biggest fear, him learning the truth.
“Will she live?” He asked, facing the messengers of death. The reaper held a stake ready in its palm. Piya grew more and more frantic, as it moved closer to his chest. The lightness in her form was reversing itself slowly.
The girl will live. Promises made by the universe are never broken.
“I’m sorry Piya. This is the only way.” He murmured, reaching out his hand. She tried to reach for it too, before it slipped away forever.
The sky rumbled and roared with the power of the universe at work. The reaper extended its arm, one flat against Abhay’s back, and drove the stake cleanly through. Without wasting any time. The exchange had been completed. Abhay looked over to her, one last time, falling to his knees. Coughed-up blood dribbled down his chin. Knowing she would live again, it made dying less painful. He only hoped that they would find each other in another life, if not this one. Where he was human like her. Piya ran to his side, trying to get through to him. He looked up at her, head resting in her lap. He reached up, and touched her cheek.
“Live a long, happy life. For me.” He whispered. Piya shook her head and held his hands. As his consciousness began to waver, she could feel her own self returning. The worst time to regain that sense of touch, and ability to cry. “I love you…”
“Abhay!” She screamed.
When the sky cleared, his eyes closed for good. The other vampires arrived too late. He was gone. One life for another, that was the promise the universe had made him.
——————————————————————————————————————————
The first night of the autumn season brought back old memories of their first meeting. The beautiful forests, and her beloved shadow. Piya sat up in bed after the moon had risen full in the night sky, letting go of the sheets that were bunched up in her palm. Her eyes were numb and puffy, perhaps from crying in her sleep. Beside her, an open book laying face down. One of his favorites.
Her hair was a mess, having fallen asleep in the middle of reading. She gathered herself and checked her phone. It was almost midnight. Another quiet midnight, like how many of them have been.
I can’t be late. He must be waiting, she thought. Opening the closet, she pulled out his black jacket and slipped her arms into it. It was always a little too big for her, but still warm, and still bearing his scent. She buried her cheeks in the fabric, inhaling softly while trying to hold back tears. Heart filled with countless memories.
A knock on the door took her briefly out of her reminiscence. She turned and opened the door. It was Haseena. A brief smile played on her lips. Haseena came inside, knowing Piya was about to head out for the night, until sunrise.
“It’s darker than usual out, Piya. Shall I come with you?” Haseena asked, taking Piya’s hands. She shook her head and pressed a finger under her eyes.
“I’ll be okay. He’s watching over me.” She said, with glimmers of love in her eyes. A small lantern dangled from her hand. Haseena nodded, staring around the room. Piya was such a brave girl, handling the emptiness far better than she was. But even matters of the heart couldn’t always be hidden. She was trying to not cry in front of her.
“Be careful. Just call if you need us.”
“I will, thanks mom.”
Holding the book, with their photo and letter tucked between its pages, she set out into the forests of Manali. A year had passed since his death, a death that he readily accepted just so she could live life again. She wouldn’t let his sacrifice go in vain. The Raichands took her in as their own, giving her a home when she was all alone. Explaining away Piya’s reappearance would be difficult, without explaining why she hadn’t changed a bit in a whole decade. She didn’t mind, as Abhay's memories lingered more with them. A new life, a new beginning. But some things didn’t ever end.
The autumn chill brushed past her cheeks. She looked around, trying to find the old dirt path from under the twigs and colored leaves that the wind pushed over. He lay in rest nearby their new home, in line of sight of their bedroom window.
The wind joined her in her short journey, just like the night they first met. Today marked the 11th anniversary of that day, when she first stepped off that bus into the forests of Dehradun. A soft smile adorned her lips, reminiscing about the past. He was surely there, protecting her from afar, just like in the beginning. Her guardian angel. She looked up at the starry sky, so clear and bright, perfect for stargazing.
In a small bed of white orchids, the greying headstone stood tall and noticeable to the eye. Piya kneeled beside it, brushing her fingers past the letters of his name. She spread out a small blanket next to it. She lay down, book pressed against her chest, looking up in admiration of the stars. Her hand fared over the ground beside her, tears falling once again. No matter how much she consoled herself, she always fell apart when alone.
“I miss you, Abhay…” She murmured, wistfully, hand pressed into the soil.
The wind blew stronger, startling her, then blowing her hair over her face. When it settled, a pair of cobalt blue eyes were staring back, looming over her. Her heart swelled with hope. She knew he wasn’t wandering, and that this was just an illusion. A pleasant illusion at that. It was just like he was there, with her. Her beloved vampire. His head dipped, laying a soft kiss upon her lips, and over her tears. The frost of his touch felt just like it used to. She tried to hold him, but he began to fade into the night. He was gone, wandering somewhere at a distant shore, perhaps waiting.
“Come back….please….I need you….”
She burst into tears, remembering that night. Until and ever after he took his last breath, she held him in her arms, refusing to leave his side even after his eyes closed for good. Clutching the book hard, and tears relentlessly running down her cheeks, she found it difficult at times to keep her promise. He gave his life for her, his definition of atonement.
Live a long, happy life. For me.
His last words to her, followed with a simple ‘I love you’.
Piya pressed her palm against her chest, feeling the rapidly beating heart that was once his favorite sound. She had once told him that one beating heart was enough for the two of them.
“You’ll always live here, Abhay. In my heart.”
She pulled out the photo from between the pages, and the letter alongside it. She could recognize his beautiful handwriting anywhere. A letter penned, just for her. The night before he said goodbye. Goodbye, for now, it said on the front.
She unfolded the paper and began to read, a hundred times over. Imagining his voice reading it to her. This way, she would never forget it.
Are you angry with me? I knew you would. We’re both so incredibly stubborn, aren’t we? I’m sorry, Piya. I was left with no other choice. To protect the life that I so recklessly took away from you, I had to make this sacrifice. I hope that you will forgive me.
Live for yourself, and live for me too. I’ll still be there, by your side, and in your heart.
Never let that smile fade, Piya. I hope that soon we meet again, in a better time. Falling in love with you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I will cherish it always.
Forget me not, keep me in your memory.
I love you very much.
Forever Yours, Abhay.
Live and smile, for both of them, for as long of a life she had this time. She knew that they would reunite soon after. He just had to wait a while longer. She looked up at the moon once more, reaching her palm up in hopes of reaching him. The autumn leaves fell upon her tresses and his grave slowly, swaying to and fro in the air to softly tickle her cheeks. Until that autumn, where they would meet once.
“Wait for me, will you? I’ll be there soon.”
CID
641