Priyanka shivered in her shawl, as she sat on the cold metal surface of the backside of an ambulance. It had been 6 hours since she and Anika had stumbled upon the body, everything had been a blur of events ever since.

The town’s police along with a few locals have rushed to their aid. A few calls were made and as the sun finally shined through the clouds, the area was filled with cops from the city to forensic experts all mumbling in hushed whispers.

She exhaled, closing her eyes. She winced as flashes of the wet body, matted in dirt, with Anika crouched next to it, occupied her vision.

“Did you fall asleep?” her eyes snapped open, watching Anika take a seat next to her. Her hair was up in a messy bun, clothes crumpled and her eyes looked like they hadn’t slept since a decade.

She felt a pang of guilt. “Sorry I’ve haven’t been much of help” she mumbled, it was like her body had refused to function ever since they found the girl. Numbed to the rest of the senses. Anika on the other hand handled it as if she had done it all before. She spoke to the police telling them everything they needed to know, made sure the ambulance was here, spoke to the forensics, made sure that Prinku was kept away from all of the questioning.

“Who is she?”

“I don’t think you need to worry about all that” Anika said quietly. Prinku handed pressed her coffee cup into her hands “its fine. Tell me.”

She sipped the coffee “19 year old, Lakshmi. Cause of death is unknown yet.”

“You’re a doctor, what do you think happened to her”

Anika shrugged “ to be honest, a lot of things are running through my head, I just don’t want to settle for any of them” she sighed, “ I’ve spoken to the cops, they said we could leave in the afternoon, if they’ll need us they’ll call us”

“They’ll need us?”

“Well, we both are the first hand witnesses of a death which could even be a murder” Prinku gasped “ so yeah we need to come if they call us” Anika continued “ but don’t worry I’ll do all the talking, you don’t have to worry about anything”

“Can I….maybe see her..?”

Anika looked at her for a moment, “maybe that’s not a good idea” Prinku grasped her hand “no…I’ll be fine. I just wanna see”

She reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. “Oh nice you’ve got a picture” Prinku said in relief, she didn’t have to visit the body in person now.
“Keep your voice down!” Anika hissed hiding her phone “we aren’t supposed to have this”

“Then how did you get it”

“I’ll tell you later, but listen to me. No one back home can know what we saw here today Ok?”

Prinku frowned “but why?”

Anika looked away “I don’t know. I just have this really weird feeling about this, here” she snapped open her phone pointing at a picture. Prinku pressed her lips tightly, hoping she wouldn’t puke at the sight of the macerated body “look here” Anika zoomed at the girls wrists “see these lines on her wrists? You get these when you’re tied for too long, and see this” she zoomed at the legs “ her feet are bruised so bad and only at the toes and heels, as if she had been running for a really long time” Prinku stared at her with wide eyes “ what are you trying to say Anika”

“There is something fishy going on here. All these signs only show that she was being tortured” she looked behind her shoulder “and I have a feeling the cops know more than they are letting out”

“And you want to know something that is even weirder?” Anika tapped on her phone, “ I sweet talked to one of the forensic guys and he told me that she is from Mumbai, and I even managed to get her photo”

Prinku shivered, worriedly “why are you so caught up with this, let’s just leave this place. Am on the verge of getting a panic attack”

Anika’s brows knotted together “caught up? There are traces of physical abuse on maybe every inch of her body, her face is dismantled almost beyond recognition.” Anika’s voice dropped low and cold “she is even younger than you Prinku, and you think we should walk away from this?”

“But what can we do!?”

Anika stared at her for a moment “I don’t know if I can fight justice for crack this case or something. But I at least want her parents to come see her. We can at least get her a peaceful funeral”

Prinku rubbed her hands together “well….?” She raised a brow. Anika looked at her puzzled.

“Are you going to show me her picture so we can find her address or what?”
Anika’s eyes softened and she handed her the phone “that’s her. Lakshmi. I have to figure her last name yet”

Prinku frowned at the picture of a teenager smiling back at her, why did she look so familiar. “What is?” Anika asked, watching Prinku “I feel I’ve seen her somewhere”

“Her? Where?”

Prinku bit her lip thinking hard, why did she look so familiar, why? Why? Wh- she gasped as it hit her hard. She grasped Anika’s hand “we need to get out of here. Right now!?”

“Are you crazy? What’s wrong?”

Prinku shrugged off her shawl and jumped down from the ambulance, dragging Anika with her “whoa! Slow down!”

“I’ll tell you everything, but we need to get out of here, please just trust me and let's go”

“I can’t just disappear like this! I at least need to tell Sister Mary! And what about the cops! They told us not to leave till noon”

“Can’t you call her and tell her while we are driving?” Anika sighed rubbing her forehead “I know I sound crazy” Prinku rushed “but I think I know this girl and I can help you find her parents, but it’s not safe here for now. No one can know we have her picture. Let’s just go and I swear I’ll explain everything in the car”

Anika nodded “alright. You go pack our stuff and meet me at that bar we saw on the outskirts. Am gonna get the car there and well leave alright. Don’t talk to anyone. The cops can’t know we are leaving.”

Prinku nodded. The girls parted their way. Anika kept a keen eye on the cops and walked gently on the edge of the crowd, trying to mingle with the rest of the crowd. So she could slip past them to her car parked on the other side. She walked slowly, shuffling, she shrugged off her white coat, made her less visible.

She checked her watch, six minutes had passed since she had left Prinku. She must’ve have already reached their room and done packing.

Which meant she had less time to get to her car. She let out a gust of air her hand curling around her keys, feeling the cold metal digging into her palm, gave her reassurance. Just until she reached her car. She could slip inside and drive away. Just few more feet.

Almost there Anika.

From the corner of her eye she caught a slight movement of one of the detectives turning towards her. Fuck. She walked two steps faster. The detective tilted his head and she saw him raise his hand “you there!”

fuckfuckfuck.

She clutched her keys more tightly. She saw him walk towards “you there! Stop!”

She exhaled roughly and kept walking ahead, careful not to speed up her pace even though her mind screamed at her to run. The locals around her shuffled uneasily as the detective drew closer, she could feel eyes on her, yet she kept her eyes front.

Two more steps and the detective would be right in front of her. Should she just make a run for it?

“Mam. You need to- uffff” he was cut off as a man shoved past him, falling into Anika. Anika yelped as she caught him, managing to keep them both straight. “AHHHHHHH!!!! My stomach!” the man but all screamed. Anika winced. The man groaned falling more onto her.

“Watha heck?” the detective straightened glaring at the man in Anika’s arms. “What is all this!?”

The man turned facing the detective, he wound his arm around Anika’s shoulder supporting himself. And Anika stumbled under his weight, too scared to make sense of what was going on.

“Mam I need to have a word with you” the detective looked at Anika. She gulped “yeah…I”

“Sir am about to die, can you both discuss this later” the man interrupted Anika looked at him, he was donned in black from head to toe, a black hat was pulled down, keeping most of his face hidden but his chiselled jaw, specked with a subtle.

“And what is the matter with you?”

“I-“he stopped “are you a doc?”

“No am the detective here.” The detective scoffed “then maybe she’ll understand my problem better sir” he said.

Anika looked at him in surprise, she saw the detective hesitating and jumped in “sir let me just treat him, I’ll come back and we can talk”

The detective didn’t look happy “ ok I’ll be right here”

Anika nodded and wound her arm around the guys waist twirling him towards her car “ you are not from here are you?” she whispered as soon as they were out of sight “ the guy shrugged “neither are you”

“Do you really have stomach pain?” Anika frowned at him “because you suddenly seem fine right now”

He chuckled, a low sound that strangely put her at ease “maybe, but I don’t think you are about to let go of me to find that out”

“Seriously who are you?” he fell silent and they kept shuffling towards her car “I need a ride to the outskirts of this town can you give me one?”

“Do I have a choice?” he chuckled again. They reached her car and Anika sighed, she moved to shrug him off “am sure you can go to the passenger’s seat yourself?”

“No don’t” he said, “that cop is still watching us”

“Huh?”

“Don’t turn around, here” he nodded at her car’s review mirror “look at that” and sure enough the detective was watching them, with a scowl on his face.

Anika helped him in quickly and within seconds they were roaring out of the field.

“Now are you going to tell who you are?” Anika shouted over the roar of the wind. The man leaned back, taking off his cap, Anika’s breath hitched in her throat as she saw him. God he was hot. Shut up Anika!

“It’s better this way” he said, his voice husky and low.

“How!?”

He shrugged “we helped each other didn’t we?”

“What makes you think I needed any help?” Anika shot.

He chuckled, he needed to stop smiling like that. “I just do. Now get over it, will you. Oh” he peered out the window “my stop is here”

“Here?!” Anika looked around “this is in middle out of nowhere”

“Yeah it’s my stop. Will you stop judging? You are already getting late”
Anika looked hurt “am not judging”

He nodded “ok, I’ll keep it in mind”
Anika frowned watching him get out of her car, “wait!” He turned around “yeah?”

“…” she stared at him, her words dying inside her throat he smiled, his lips curling up into a perfect half smile, her eyes widened “sorry I can’t hang around more to keep you dazzled”

“Dazzled? Who?” even she didn’t believe her words.

“Go on” he shut the door “thankx for everything” Anika opened her mouth when her phone rang, she looked at Prinku’s face flashing on her screen. Fuck. She pressed it to her ear “am coming”

She looked up and blinked, there was no one around. Where did he go? Her phone rang again. She started her car. She didn’t have time to think about him.

Within minutes she pulled next to a raging Prinku. She slammed into the car “what took you so long!”

Anika sighed “ a ghost”