The sky was a shade of gloom, thick clouds concealed the cold in the city and cut off the sun supply. The roads thought bustled as always not resting for a day, people reaching their destination while some came back from tiring night jobs.

The silence in the car was thick, tension strong and emotions left unattended. He didn't know how to engage in a conversation with her while she wasn't in tht mood to open her mouth and say something wrong. Sometimes it was just too much for her to handle, letting her calm slide was something she rarely ever let happen. The last time it did she surely proved that she was her mother's daughter.

"Why do you want to at your parents house? Are you sure you want to—" Buraak started feeling anxious about even letting her stay under tht same roof as that man without him there.

"Aapi is going to be there" she replied plainly.

"But Wafa I still—"

"Please. I'm already not in tht mood to use my voice. Let me be." She exhaled feeling her jaw clench and hands fist.

He isn't the one you're angry at.

He didn't say anything just drove to her house. True to her words Safa's car was already in the driveway.

"Wafa" he held on to her arm before she could leave the car, cold brown eyes turned to meet his making him for a minute not recognize who exactly this woman was.

"I'll pick you up as soon I'm finished with everything." He said making her look down at his hand for a second before meeting his eyes again.

"Will we be staying at your parents house?" She asked. His teeth chewed on his bottom lip as he thought of how long tht investigation process will take.

"Maybe. The police and the aalim will surely take there time in investigating the whole scene" he said making her nod with a hardened gaze.

"Please make it all fast I don't want to live with your parents any longer" she said making him fist his hand.

"She's my Mom" he said making her scoff in response.

"And the one she's unnecessarily bad mouthing is your wife. Compromising on your behavior is something I can do but of anyone else's. No thank you. I'd put this straight. I can't live there" she said making his breathe in deeply to calm himself down.

"There are already too many things going on can you not bring this in all of this. She's just a little upset"

"Exactly Buraak there is already too much that we're dealing with. I want you to be my escape from reality, the place we live in I want it to be my heaven where I don't have to repeat my last life with toxic family members." She bursted out, she couldn't hold it in. Her heart was heavier than normal, her gut was churning in anxiety of something untold. Desperate tears leafy her eyes unexpectedly, she didn't want to cry but her conscience was on fire.

"I don't have an issue with his upset your mother is or how she is, i just don't want her to direct all that hatered towards me when I haven't done anything wrong. I'm many things but I'm not a slut as she frames me or my mother to be" she cried in her hands, shoulders shaking, chest burning. He tried taking her in his embrace but she pushed him away.

"Don't. I don't want any human contact. I want to be left alone, there are too many people betting on me and I'm not ready to let them have their way with me" she looked up breathing deeply.

The dark haired man could only stare at her shaking figure. She leaned back in her seat head tilted upward, she tried breathing but her lungs were compressing.

Her hand came to hold his and he obliged holding it tightly while she closed her eyes breathing heavily.

"I... I'm sorry" she breathed "I... Just couldn't hold it in anymore. I'm sorry for what I said earlier." She whispered meekly looking down in her lap. She tried taking her hand out of his hold but he didn't let it go.

Embarrassed she looked at him who stared down at her hand rubbing his with his. He took her other hand in his also warming them up, he smiled softly looking up not bothered by her tears face.

"I get it. It's okay. All this, that's happening must be very emotionally exhausting for you. I'll ask mom to not bother you or at least will be by your side at all times" he said joining his forehead with hers making her sniffle the new tears back.

"I didn't mean to bound you to myself—" her voice broke making him shake his head.

"I was bound to you the day we got married, it's my job to remain peace between you and Ammi. She does act obnoxiously most times and I apologise" he said hugging her tightly. She returned the gesture with just as much need as him, taking in his comforting warmth and his positivity.

"I'll be back soon. Don't worry and if anything and, I mean anything goes wrong you call me right away. I'll be at our house getting everything cleaned" he mumbled against her hair making her nod feeling for ed to move away from him. She didn't want to let go.

"Please be safe. Please" she cried holding his face in her hands.

"I'm not going on a war" he chuckled making her shake her head.

"I don't care wherever you're going just be safe. You have me waiting on you Buraak" she said making him smile and kiss her gingerly on her lips.

"Why do we always have these conversations in our car like this?" He chuckled pulling away. A smile pulled at the end of her lips while she shook her head.

"I don't know, maybe that's the only time we're actually together don't you think?" She asked making him nod.

"We both have work and sketchy paranormal bitches to fight"

"Buraak." She gasped smacking his arm "don't ever talk about the other life like that"

"Yeah yeah whatever" he brushed her smack away.

She rolled her eyes taking her purse - which had fallen at her feet while her breakdown - and got down from the car. She waved Buraak while her nerves came back ten folds, she really wished to go with him but she knew he wouldn't have taken her with him to the house.

Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath she turned around and walked to the door. Her hand raised and was about to press down on tht door bell when the door was opened. A smirk spreading on his thin lips, eyes holding triumph. There, right infront of her stood the man who was source of miseries.

Haleel Rehmani.

  🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

"Brother you can meet him now" a man his age came forward and told him that the man was now free. Nodding Buraak walked in the room.

"Assalamualaikum" he greeted the man who stood up to shake hands with him.

"Waalaikumsalam. Come sit" the graceful man smiled. His face glowed with noor and the man seemed kind.

"My teacher called me telling me about your case" the young man started softly.

The man who was relatively younger than he had expected listened to him attentively while Buraak explained what he could.

Zaakir - the man - nodded and cleared his throat before speaking.

"I see. Can you take me there?" He asked making Buraak nod. The two left the small office where he had come to meet the man. He had expected an old man or an imam but this man was a man who knew about the ruqyah and was willing to help.

"Are you doubting me?" Buraak heard him say with a small laugh. "No but.. I mean" He scratched the back of his head feeling embarrassed.

"I get that alot. People often expect an old maulvi type man. It's okay" the men laughed on their way to the house.

Police vans were parked in tht driveway, the door was lined with the caution tape. The door was open and two men were inside inspecting the body. Buraak had called them first while leaving zaakir's office.

"Sir, the body is being inspected and will soon be taken for further examination" the duo heard a constable tell the chief officer.

"Mr Buraak" the officer, Hatim - who was his friend - greeted him and zaakir.

"We have to check the house, from what we've caught on this seemed like a murder than a robbery." the three men walked inside. Zaakir looked around keenly, his eyes stuck on the  woman who's body now laid limp under the curious gazes of the inspector.

"She's the maid?" Zaakir asked following after them, Buraak only nodded while entering in his bedroom. His breath halted and his body froze. The officer gasped at tht sight of blood over the bedroom walls.

Her name was written in crimson on all four walls with claw marks scratching across it. The curtains were shredded and the mirror was broken, their bed was ruined barely hanging on a thread.

He walked to the closet and it was thrashed as well, clothes torn to shreds, her guitar was broken, pictures burned in tht middle. The safe was open but the jewellery and money was only scattered on the ground not taken away.

"Is wafa your wife's name?" Zaakir asked after a long silence, there was a weight in tht air that was compressing  his lungs together.

"Yes." Buraak answered breathlessly.

"Where is she now?" He asked walking out of the room. Buraak desperately wanted her to hold him again like she did last night but he couldn't let himself fall right now.

"She's at her father house." He said making the man nod.

"This is not logically possible. Who would thrash a house, murder someone and not take a thing?" Hatim clutched his hair.

"Someone who's not after all this" Zaakir answered.

"What do you mean?"

"This is more of a threat. Your wife is the center of it. We have to somehow convince this being to leave her alone or else in it's rage it can harm either you or her" he spoke looking intensely at the corpse.

"How do we do that?" Buraak asked.

"We have to bring your wife here, as quickly as possible. The entity is attached to her and if she comes here he'll follow her here" Zaakir replied.

"I can't bring her here" Buraak denied.

"If you won't bring her here what makes you think that the demon won't follow her? It's not the house or an object that's haunted. It's your wife and he can't be lured in without her" Zaakir explained.

"This is all bullshit, I'm betting on it being a murder and not... Not this stupid demon and shit" Hatim scoffed.

"You maybe right, but right now without any physical sign of a human breaking in the house and killing the maid, though the situation I've been informed of ; it clearly lays tht doubt of our suspicion being correct." Zaakir said calmly making Hatim nod while rolling his eyes.

"What do you suggest then aalim sahab?" Hatim mocked.

"Officer Hatim I suggest we work both ways. You can calm the forces for now and then we'll see what the outcome holds." Zaakir said making Hatim look at Buraak - who was lost in his thoughts - for answer.

"I think Zaakir bhai is right." He answered making Hatim scowl and tell his fellows to clean up the scene and take the body to the morgue.

"Keep your wife with you at all times." Zaakir advised lastly before parting ways with Buraak. His mind was a mess of thoughts and emptiness. The more he thought of what was happening the more his mind grew numb. All he desired in that moment was to collapse on his bed and sleep his exhaustion off. He felt what Wafa was feeling earlier, tht heaviness of his heart, the twisting of his gut. He wanted nothing more than to breakdown crying, for reasons unknown. He felt like he had to mourn over something. Something he hadn't lost. He wanted to cry his heart out and his throat clogged. 

The sky was a serene picture of darkness, night had fallen upon them and had aged finely with stars blinking rapidly at him. The house was yet again locked and left empty. He drove further away from the place and was about to unconsciously go home when the thought of wafa struck him.

He took a u-turn and was on his way to his wife's house when his view was blinded and bright lights and honking horns made him blind and deaf. All he remembered was the faceless figure in his back seat and a rupture of deep laughter before pain and darkness engulfed him...............

Assalamualikum guys how are you all?

So here an update.

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hope you like it.

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Allah Hafiz.

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Hafsa_tahir