AsYa SS- Autumn To Ashes ❤️ Complete - Page 30

nai nai 😆... updating today...!😳

I have just finished writing my first novel. It should be out on Amazon soon and then in hard copy print. My first published short story title is in my siggi 😊. No problem 😊

Some silhouette hiding in the gloominess of the cold woods smirked, his eyes concentrated on her, truly drinking up the saturated and feeble soul in her; enjoying the devastation she was going through.

The cell phone in Zoya's hand started buzzing loudly, the screen blinked with... 'EMERGENCY'... giving vigour to her otherwise numb body. She, for a moment, forgot everything and forced the thing to her ears,

"Yes?"

(Pause)

"What?"

(a scratchy pause)

"I'll be there in no time..."

(Cut...)

The next moment she found herself galloping towards her car, muttering silent curses under her breath.

Hospital... the door of room no. 509 banged open, her eyes followed the restless movement of the doctors and the nurses gyrating around the bunk; blocking her view of her Grandad. Her already heavy head took a full spin, she supported her weight with the wall and gathered up every ounce of energy in her to walk up t him and instantly took his vulnerable hand in hers. Her pants were horrible by then; she made another abortive effort to level her breaths. Everything she did to calm down herself proved fruitless.

He was breathless and the doctors were busy injecting different fluids in his vessels. Her mind and heart raced simultaneously; diverse notions booming inside her, making her all scrawny and meagre.

"Come on Dad-a...not now...please not now..." She pleaded losing all control over the stream of salty water running down her face.

"Please not now..."

He ultimately calmed down and drifted back to slumber due to the heavy sedation. Zoya's lungs finally felt the oxygen back in the air.

One week later:-

Zoya woke up in the morning to find her Grandad serenely asleep. She smiled to herself and flitted towards him. His breakfast and morning medicines still lying on the tray beside him caught her attention. She realised he didn't take any of it. Slowly bending down to whisper in his ears she tried waking him up.

"Daada wake up... time for your breakfast..."

He didn't respond.

She gently shook him by his shoulder, but he stood their motionless. An ashen thought struck her senses; she tried ignoring it purposefully, but no... her body could sense the alarm. The reaction was natural; stiffness, unease, and deterioration; abating all her audacity and wits. Her finger instinctively slid to his nose- she couldn't feel anything.

She darted out of the door shouting for the doctors.

The doctors and the other health staff rushed in and very mechanically everyone took to work. They checked his heartbeat- gone, pulse rate- gone, breathing- none. One of them sighed heavily and turned towards tear stricken Zoya... gently patting her shoulder he exploded the bomb on her...

"I am sorry Miss Farooqi... we have lost him."

For the first time she truly felt the ground disappearing from beneath her feet.

***

The Same Evening:

Zoya sat there beside his empty grave in the cemetery; it was drizzling; if it weren't for Neha holding an umbrella over her' she could have at least wept, the sanctified raindrops would have concealed her tears for her. But if only wishes were like horses.

Asad, Ayan and Najma jumped out of their transport and joined the burial ceremony of Zoya's Grand-dad. Obviously, their not coming there would have given fuel to the already burning gossips in the town.

Asad's eyes landed on Zoya; who even after fighting back her tears looked pretty drained out; to his surprise was not shedding a tear. She just sat there beside his grave like nothing else mattered in the world. Her eyes never left that place where in a few minutes his Daada would be finding his eternal dwelling. It was clear that she was completely lost, but where? The question was better left unknown.

Asad suddenly felt her misery sweeping over him, raising a noteworthy twinge in his heart; surprising him that even after the relationship was lost, even after everything had sunk in the oceans of their lives, even after the gap of seven years between the them, he still felt her pain.

He felt so sentient of every drop of tear she was drinking in; breeding a sudden surge of reaching out to her, in him. He felt like flying to her that very instant to sit beside her, give her his shoulder, hug her and tell her...

"You are not alone...no matter what!"

But he couldn't. He couldn't be there for her. Still for a moment he wanted to forget the brutal and vindictive past and live the moment for her only.

He forcefully shifted his gaze away, which unconsciously settled on Neha...

'I cant eel these things for her... no i cant... i am committed to someone else now...then why every tiny drop of my blood is screaming out for her only... when just a weak back my eyes couldn't stand the sight of her...why seeing her like this is eating me up inside?...Stop it Asad!' He fought with himself.

Zoya still stared at the empty grave; feeling orphaned again the girl was on a verge of a breakdown the very instant. The feeling that now there was no one in this world for her left her empty; losing every relation reminded her that how her doomed fate never failed to disappoint her when it came to cascading sorrows upon her.

Although she was lost and hard done by, she didn't disregard to carry out her promise of not rolling a tear from her eyes. Only she knew what it took her to hold herself together, to stop the volcano from erupting...

Only she knew how every minute the soreness inside her increased and increased...

They finally lowered his coffined body in the grave and waited for Zoya to put in the first handful of soil on him. She did that very robotically and then somehow stood up for others to do the same.

In the end everyone prayed for the departed soul, tried condoling her, finally excusing themselves from the ceremony. Asad and Ayan were still there, both in a dilemma whether to go console her or not.

Najma couldn't stop herself, she walked past her brothers towards Zoya, hugged hertight, Zoya hugged back, a tiny droplet escaped her eyes which she cleared away almost as immediately as it came.

After she pulled back, Neha pressed her hand on her shoulder firmly,

"Come on Zoya...let's go!"

She nodded smiling sadly at Najma. Both left after that.

Najma came back to her Asad and Ayan who couldn't seem to cross eyes with their sister, she cleared away her tears.

"You men should not be allowed to live..." what started from a whisper ended up in almost a scream...

She sobbed shaking her head, finally leaving for the car.

Both of them stood there with somewhat embarrassed look on their otherwise cold faces. Hatred takes all the goodness from your life...

***

5 Days later:-

Zoya was quite normal now... time heals all our wounds the thing is we don't give enough time to time. She did, at least this time she did.

Neha came to her home with the lunch for the two. They were peacefully eating when Zoya's cell phone started ringing. She gave a vexed expression before picking it up...

"(The other side)... I am so sorry to hear about to hear about your Daada..."

This time his being all up-to-date about her didn't trouble her much.

"Thankyou... now go to hell!"

She dropped the call, tossing the cell away. Neha gawked at her all startled.

"Kon tha?"

A forced laugh..."The bloody intruder..."

"What? Ab woh call bhi karta hai?"

"Huh! Call is the least imperative thing in his list of tortures... e-mails, MMSs, text messages are more fancied..." she said sarcastically.

Neha felt awful for her friend.

"Na kar?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"in any case... i know its him... i swear if i see him alive i will merrily slaughter him with my own hands..."

Neha rolled her eyes...

"Yaar believe me...woh Spain se baith kar tumhe stalk nai kar sakta..."

"well then stop believing that he is in Spain... might help you!" Again sarcastic.

"I think..."

"Whatever... stop thinking Neha... i will handle!" She didn't let her complete.

"Awaz kaisi thi?" She was adamant too.

Zoya sighed. "Electronic..." Enjoying the chaotic look on Neha's face she stuffed a spoonful of rice in her mouth.

"Electronic?"

"Yeah some dim-witted phone app... to disguise your voice as someone else's... the one those geeks use in so called scary movies..."

"ooh! How..."

"Screwed..." Zoya completed.

"Kafi mehnati hai..."

"Or farigh bhi... yeh kia hai?" Zoya suddenly took Neha's hand in hers, observing the appealing ring in her finger...Neha's smile faded, all of a sudden looking all the more overwrought...

Zoya looked up at her with the question clear in her eyes... Neha was more on an edge now.

"Tum...tum...your engaged?" She didn't recognise the words escaping her mouth.

Neha didn't know how to respond. She just nodded nervously.

"Why! You didn't tell me?"

"I was going to..."

"Kab? Shadi ke baad...?"

"Zoya gussa mat ho..."

She forced a smile.

"I am not angry just surprised..."

Neha sighed. Zoya again stared at the ring and didn't miss a small 'A' carved on its back...

"A?" She asked in bewilderment.

Neha stood frozen, totally out of words... She didn't know what to tell her...

***

I so love you guys... you are doing exactly as i perceive you would!😆

Now keep predicting... and i hope everyone got who Neha's FE-AN-CEEE is!!!!😳😆

good suspense

its amazing 👍🏼