A moment earlier Qaina was waiting for her cousin Uroosa to return. She was feeling suffocated and nervous standing in the middle of a crowded shopping mall. People roaming around and there she was standing like a statue. She couldn't risk moving from her place. It was s terrible idea.

Sharp high-pitched yelling of old women, wailing of kids, laughing of teenagers, a couple arguing and so on. She observed all the noises around her. It felt lively yet scary. Her life was filled with darkness and silence, this liveliness was foreign to her.

But shockingly everything went silent. She couldn't hear yelling or wailing or laughing. Only Silence. She wondered what would have happened.

She heard footsteps. A man was running. His steps seemed tired and scared. He was scared of something. He was running to save himself. The sound of his shoes grew louder, he was running into her direction.

But suddenly, a gunshot echoed in the empty complex and she heard a thud sound. That man fell on the marble floor lifelessly.

Again the silence lingered onto the atmosphere. At that moment Qaina realised how much frightened she felt. A murder happened around here.

Would running be a good decision?

No.

She could smell a faint scent of smoke and roses in the air. Someone else was present around her. Maybe the murderer.

She went stiff. Her breathing turned irregular, she struggled to breath properly. Beads of sweat formed on her frowned forehead. Even if she was blind, her eyes were still wide open in anticipation.

Will the murderer kill her as well?

Maybe.

She didn't dare to speak. Maybe the murderer leave her alive thinking that she is blind and is no threat to him.

However, she was proven wrong when she heard a voice.

"Shah Sahab, should we kill this girl?" A rough voice asked, maybe to his boss.

There were more than one man present there. Now she could smell the scent of cigarette, petrol, ashes as well.

"Shah Sahab, just give order and she will be dead the very next second." Another voice spoke.

Their words were causing her chest to tighten in fear. She wanted to cry but crying seemed a tough task when she was a second away from her death.

"She is harmless. She can't see. Let's leave." A voice spoke, which unknowingly seemed soothing to her ears. Maybe because he told his men to leave her alive.

"What if she is faking blindness?" Someone else asked.

But no reply came from their boss.

The atmosphere that was filled with death turned into deadly silence. Soon enough she felt a breath closer to her hair. The same scent of smoke and roses filled her nostrils and she understood that their boss, Shah Sahab, was checking if she is blind or not.

A wave of light air kissed her face, like something flew away closer from it. He was moving his hand in front of her eyes. As expected she didn't react to it.

"She is blind. Don't worry."

Sound of loud footsteps was heard next which lowered down every passing second. And after a minute or two Qaina was sure that they left. They left her alive. He left her alive.

But someone else became victim of their cruelty. They killed a man in her presence.

A sob escaped her mouth, which followed her cries. Her fragile frame fell on the floor and cried until the police came to the crime scene.

Qaina, for the first time in her life of twenty-one years, witnessed the cruelty of humans. But she was grateful that she was left safe and sound at least. They could have done worst with her if they wanted. If their Shah Sahab hadn't stopped them. It was weird and shameful that for once she considered that man, a murderer, as her savior.

But Qaina was naive and innocent. Someone who was kept away from the evilness since her birth, because her life was already cruel to her since the beginning.

However, she was oblivious to the fact that very soon she was going to be a part of this cruel world, where lives are as worthless as pennies and power is the only God.

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Qaina was on the way to examination hall. Her caretaker Gulaisha, a middle-aged woman, was accompanying her as well. Gulaisha out of habit was holding Qaina's hand, she always does that when they are out. Qaina's inability to see had made her family as well as servants very protective of her. Sometimes it felt suffocating but sometimes she felt lucky that they support her unlike those senseless people who would demoralise special person like her.

It was her exam that day. She was all prepared for it. Obviously she couldn't write her exam on her own, so Gulaisha would do it for her. Because Gulaisha was less educated than her and there were no chances if she could help her in finding solutions to the questions.

Gulaisha stopped abruptly.

"Qaina, don't move from here. I have to make a call." Saying so Gulaisha probably moved few feets away from her; no way she would go any more far leaving Qaina alone.

Qaina understood that Gulaisha must be calling her husband. Well, she didn't had a good husband. Not that he was bad, but he wasn't good either. Gulaisha was earning enough for their family of three, so he didn't bother to work. Not that it was bad, but he was a lazy person to be exact. However, Gulaisha kept it to herself only, unlike the women who would start crying over their fate.

Qaina simply focused on the noises coming from her surroundings. A kid was pleading to his mother that he don't want to go to school and you know very well what reward Indian kids get for this wish. It was so amusing.

The air was comfortable, but all of a sudden she felt a rough hand holding her arm harshly and she was pulled into a vehicle, maybe a car, a big car. She was kidnapped.

A scream left her mouth and a large hand was being pressed against it. She heard Gulaisha screaming, but her voice faded away as the vehicle speed up to its destination.

Qaina was trying hard enough to get out of this merciless, harsh grip but all in vain. She was met by a hard slap, that was strong enough to cause her lose consciousness.

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It was cold and smelly. She could feel dust sticking to her skin. A warm liquid oozing out from her forehead that was stinging with pain. Wherever she was, it was smelly. The odour was unbearable. She could hear drops of water tipping from the ceiling. It was the only noise reaching her ears.

Her senses alarmed when she heard uncountable footsteps approaching her direction.

"Here is the girl you wanted." A rough old voice spoke. His words terrified her. It brought worst possibilities to her mind.

Someone walked to her. It was probably a man, no, a guy. The sound produced by his expensive shoes was enough to predict that he was rich guy in his late twenties.

She was sitting on the floor, tolerating the suffocation and dehydration. A warmth clouded her body, indicating that the guy is close to her. Probably he bent down on his knees to look at her.

She felt a warm touch on her cheeks. And unknowingly it felt familiar. As if that guy is somehow related to her by blood.

"Who did this? Who slapped her?" He asked.

His voice, his accent, it seemed similar to Qaina's.

"I did this, Naqvi Sahab."

And the very next moment she heard a gunshot and few gasps.

A scream left her mouth, but she put her hand over it.

Silence. It was all silent for the next few moments.

However, what happened next was something she never expected. A gun came in contact with forehead. The same guy who killed a man for slapping her now aiming a gun on her forehead. He was going to kill her? Why?

He pulled the trigger. Qaina was sobbing. She wanted to ask him that why he wants to kill her, but she couldn't utter a single word due to the fear of death. This fear blocked her senses, all she could register was the fact that she is going to die any moment.

"Goodbye." He said. That was her cue to death. She mustered up the courage and was ready to embrace her death.

But...

"ATIF, STOP!" She heard a girl yell. The clicking of heals got louder and the gun was pulled away from the guy, whose name was Atif.

Atif stood up and walked away from Qaina. His steps describing the anger he felt.

"What are you doing her, Nikhat?" He asked, his tone held anger and strangely some trace of love as well.

"I have informed the police about Qaina's location and if all of you don't want to get arrested then just run away... And I am not joking."

There was a perplexing silence that followed after her words. The men couldn't decide if they should believe the girl named Nikhat or not. Maybe because it was evident from her voice that she was a bubbly girl, no one could expect such serious words from her.

"Everyone leave right now." Atif declared.

A series of footsteps was heard leaving in a haste. But Atif and Nikhat were still present there.

"Nikhat, I will kill you." Atif growled in anger.

"Atif, you know you can't kill me." She replied sweetly.

And finally both of them left. Atif was disappointed and Nikhat was satisfied.

All Qaina could register was that the girl Nikhat saved her and very soon police will come to rescue her.

In the next ten minutes she heard the siren blaring outside and officers rushing inside. A female officer helped her to stand and took her to the police van.

She was grateful. She had experienced death very closely for the second time in less than a week. And it didn't sit well with her. First the murder in the mall and now any Atif kidnapped her. And why he wanted to kill her?

And the most shocking thing was that she didn't felt scared in his presence. She felt protected. Like he was her shield, even when he wanted to kill her.

He was forcing himself to hate her. To hate a blind girl. A blind girl who feels safe in his presence.

Who was Atif?

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Well, the credit for the story idea goes to Angelickhan

She has amazing story ideas, if anyone wants unique plot prompts, just take her help. She is amazing at this.