Heavy silence surrounded them with the thick smell of hot air.

"I don't think so, I can do this." Layla muttered, tears brimming into her eyes.

"Neither I." Hafsa agreed and sat down beside Layla.

"You both can do it, you both just need food and rest for a while." Nazreena said trying to get their hopes back.

"No, Nazreena. When I thought about rescuing my family I thought we would have to fight against one. But here are people who have weapons sticking to them like a second skin, I don't think I can fight them." Layla sniffed feeling overwhelmed suddenly.

Baraq sighed, before he could say anything and girl smaller than Layla's age entered the room with a big plate and another girl followed her carrying a jug.

Soon, they were dismissed by Layla as she sat up with a jerk and began eating, or more like gobbling down the food. Hafsa followed her and filled her plate till the brim.

"Layla," Baraq crouched beside her and called her name.

"You are here for a purpose, to save your family and I think if you couldn't do this then you wouldn’t have been here. But you are here and we are so near to end this all. You will get your family back and,"

"And what about us, Baraq." She questioned feeling her heart go all over her.

She couldn't go back to think that she could lose Baraq after all they went through together.

Baraq quietened down. He couldn't say anything, in this all who was Layla to him. She was his wife, it was true, but could he accept it.

Just then a flash of Layla being someone else's bride made him turn red. Nope, Layla was his and there wasn't any going back from it.

"What about us?" He questioned wiggling a finger between themselves, calmly.

"You will leave me behind." She replied with a heavy breath as looked at her. His yellow eyes turned darker as he stared at her.

"I will destroy everyone who gets between us." His voice grew husky and Hafsa jumped up and down quietly, her ship was sailing.

"I play dirty games, very dirty games. Fire is nothing infront of the things I could do to people who will even think of pulling me away from you." His right hand neared her cheek as he caressed it with such an intensity, that she shivered.

"Stop it," Nazreena announced breaking Baraq's intense stare and he pulled back.

Layla's cheeks turned rosier as she focused on her food.
"Let's eat," Baraq muttered turning towards food as they began to eat.

After having their stomach full, they reclined back to their cots. There were four cots and a earthen pot filled with cold juice. Layla was liking the chilled and sweet texture of the juice.

Nazreena laid back with her eyes, trying to guide the place, but Baraq stood up and stretched his shoulders. Whoever wants to sleep can sleep, I will guard the place.

"You should also take some rest." Layla advised, but Baraq denied and started pacing back and forth.

When the walls of small room made him feel suffocated he moved towards a window and saw an eerie scene. The vendors of souq, were quiet. It was unusual and there was nobody to be seen here.

He gestured a teenage boy towards his window. His eyes assessing the surroundings as he turned back to have a look at the girls.

"Why aren't there any people in Souq? He queried scratching his beard. It has been quiet a long time since he unmasked his face in a place full of people.

"Who are people?" The boy questioned back looking at him confusion shining in his brown eyes.

Baraq couldn't speak, how did this kid didn't know who was people?

"Where is your father?" Baraq again questioned making the kid sigh and turn his head to look at something. A faraway look adorned in his eyes, snatching away the shine which was there, just a few moments ago.

"Whoever crosses red wall, never comes back, years back when I was he walked beyond the red wall to distribute the sweets, celebrating my birth. The son went down in the sky, but he was nowhere in the sight of coming back."

Red wall.

Baraq stared at boy with wide eyesbut it was just for a fraction.

"Can you tell us, where is the red wall?"

The boy quietened down, and bowed his head shaking his head in denial.

"If you help us out, I will give you some gold chains,I have."

Those chains were of the brothel, he stealed from.

A wide smile spread out on the boys face and he introduced himself, "I am Qasim and I am fourteen years old. And I could only help you out in  dark eerie night. That's the only time, no one is out."

"Then we will meet you after midnight, Qasim." Baraq said, pulling out a small velvet puch from his side of the thob and threw it in his hand.

Qasim happily trudged away from the window leaving behind the Baraq pondering over his words, how could he not know what does people mean?

♤

The sun had descended down into dark clouds. Blue hues of evening spread put evenly basking the small village in darkness.

Layla woke up and yawned. Her eyes blinked as she looked around herself and realized that they were on a mission. Sighing, she stood up and walked to Baraq who was standing still on the window.

"Baraq," she called and he turned around. He suddenly felt an urge to lean on her shoulder, but then blinked his eyes and reminded himself that this wasn't the time to seek rest. This was a time to put himself in action not to rest around and be lazy.

He took few deep breaths and then asked Layla, "Please, wake those two, I have things to discuss."

Layla nodded and called out Nazreena's name while she shook Hafsa, because she was a heavy sleeper.