Feroze followed Zaroons instructions and we walked towards the exit doors. Sirens blared in the silence but no police showed up. Zaroon and I walked hand in hand as Feroze hobbled his way onto a narrow street. Zaroon remained alert and he held my hand in a death grip. I tried not to think about what had happened and focused my energy on putting one step in front of the first.

On Zaroon's direction, Feroze turned into another back alley. We walked for another ten minutes. I kept watching Feroze for any signs of fatigue but he seemed to be going strong. Five minutes later we stopped in front of a quaint little cottage. It was nestled at the end of the street, in a private little nook of its own. Zaroon walked to the door and rapped on it three times. Birds chirped and the trees rustled in the wind. Just as I was about to ask Zaroon if this house was the right one or not, the door opened to reveal an elderly woman.

"Zaroon my boy!" She exclaimed giving him a hug. Zaroon smiled as Feroze and I exchanged bewildered looks. This was the safe house? An old woman's house?
"Auntie... it's so good to see you. May we come in?" She nodded and stepped aside. Auntie? Zaroon walked into the house and Feroze and I followed. I greeted her as I walked in and she smiled. Did she know who I was?

The house was warmly furnished and brightly lit. We had walked into a living room which was decorated in shades of blue. It was cozy and welcoming.
"This is lovely... Mrs?" I stared not knowing her name.
"Akram dear, but call me Auntie. Akram has been dead for the last twenty years but I still go by his name. Please, Begum Sahiba, make yourself comfortable " well there it was. I nodded and helped Feroze sit down on the couch.

"Zaroon honey, I've got extra clothes if you need them" Zaroon nodded and followed her to the kitchen. Feroze and I looked around the room, relaxing a little.

"I can help," I said jumping up as she brought in a tray of tea and biscuits. She smiled as I took the tray from her and placed it on the coffee table.
"Auntie... we've got a person here with an injured leg," Zaroon said coming out of the powder room. He had changed into a black shalwar kameez and walked out of the house with his walkie talkie thing in his hand.

"Oh no! Hold on I'll get my kit" and she scurried away into the bedroom.
"Uh, is she qualified?" Feroze asked stuffing his face with a biscuit. "These are so good" I rolled my eyes.
"Homemade. I made these myself" Auntie said emerging from the bedroom. His face turned red from embarrassment and I coughed to hide my laugh.

"Before I got married to Akram, I was a nurse. He met me there... during the war" her words hinted at deep affection for her dead husband.
"It was a love marriage then?" I asked sitting on the sofa.
"Oh yes... for him right at that moment. He didn't have the courage to tell me that till much later. Said he wanted to become worthy of me" I giggled at that. "I took a little convincing... I couldn't believe someone like him could like me" I smiled at that before an inadvertent yawn erupted from me.
"God, I'm so sorry. That was incredibly rude of me" Feroze rolled his eyes at my apology. I glared at him.

"It's okay Begum Sahiba, I understand. I have some spare clothes in the back room. Why don't you go in, change and then get some rest?" I looked at my torn clothes and decided that sounded like a great idea and took her up on her offer.

The narrow corridor led to the gorgeous back room. The room opened up into the back yard and provided an envious view. The window slash door was perfect to view the colorful flowers that had been planted in the garden. The tree canopy provided the privacy needed for the intimate garden.
Sighing, I grabbed a simple pair of shalwar kameez and went to the bathroom to change. The cut on my hand still hurt but it had stopped bleeding. I also had to cuts on my forehead and a bruise around my mouth. I splashed water on my face and around my neck to help clean the dirt that had settled there. After washing my hands and feet and managing to tame my hair, I decided I looked presentable.
I exited the bathroom and started to examine the room. The room was nicely furnished with a double bed. A red quilt covered the bed with big fluffy pillows completing the set. The dresser had been placed to one side with a single photograph placed on it. A young woman smiled at the camera, her face open and wide. I picked up the photograph, looking at it closely when a knock sounded at the door. I hastily placed the frame back on the dresser and went to unlock the door.

"Thought you might need some sustenance," Zaroon said walking in and closing the door behind him. He held a tray containing two teacups, a plate of biscuits and medical supplies.
"Who is this Auntie?" I asked as he placed the tray on the dresser.
"She's an old neighbor. We used to live here"
"Really? Wow. This place is beautiful"
"I know... I used to be here half the time. Our house was the one on the right" I tried to imagine a younger Zaroon running around the house. The image brought a smile to my face.
"Where is Auntie now?"
"She went to bed for her evening nap. Feroze passed out on the sofa"
"How's his leg?"
He led to me the bed and gently pushed me to sit on it. I sat down, suddenly feeling very nervous. He sat on the ground in front of me, letting me have my space. He was keeping it in the bounds of propriety.

"Not broken. But the muscle has been damaged. He'll have trouble walking for a few weeks." I shuddered. We had escaped. Somehow.
"Hey... it's okay. We made it." He said, encompassing my hand in his.
"Barely" I whispered, curling my fingers around his and feeling the horror of the day settle upon me.
"But we did. And we'll be home in a couple of hours"
"Do they know? Does my family know I'm okay?"
"They would have gotten the message by now" I sighed in relief. He reached for an antiseptic wipe and I moved my hands away.
"Woah what is this for?"
He gave me a strange look. "So that you don't get an infection"
"It'll sting" he quirked his lips at my tone.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle" I sighed and let him swipe the gash on my arm.

He was gentle. It didn't sting. Next, he moved to the cuts on my forehead, frowning when he saw the bruise around my mouth. His eyes darkened as one of the cuts started to bleed.

"What? Do I need stitches?"
"No, a bandage will suffice" he muttered cutting a piece from the roll and carefully taping it to my forehead.
"Why the look?"
"I'm going to kill whoever did this" he promised in a dark tone. His fingers reached for a strand of my hair and paused, centimeters away from my face. I could feel them, hovering and asking for permission. I gazed into his lovely brown eyes trying to decide...

"We could have been killed today" he nodded his face blank. I ran my fingers over his forehead and he closed his eyes. I looked at his cut and leaned forward for the antiseptic wipe.
He watched as I tore the wrapper open.

"So it's not infected" I whispered as I sat down in front of him. He watched intently as I shook it open and used the corner to wipe the edges of his cut. His eyes stayed on my face as I folded the wipe and reached for the bandage. I cut a small piece and brushed his hair back. His eyes closed at my touch and a small smile played across his lips. He looked... at peace.

"I wish we could stay here," I said once I had fastened the bandage on his skin.
"Me too" he murmured opening his eyes to look at me.

He shifted so I could reach for the cup and we both drank our tea in comfortable silence. Little did we know about the storm that was just about to hit us. For now, it was just us, in our little world.

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