chapter 16
1730 Words
The night was silent, but Zulfishan’s heart wasn’t.
She sat alone in her room, staring at the old wooden box she had found in her father’s belongings. For days, her dreams had been filled with shadows and strange codes. At first, she thought it was her mind playing tricks—but now she was sure: those dreams were memories.
Her father… hadn’t just been a hardworking employee at Aabi’s company. He had been working on something dangerous. Something powerful.
Inside the box were some files, half-burned. One page had the name: Project Z-Mind. And beneath it, a line:
"Access Key: Subject Z"
Zulfishan.
Her own name.
She was the key.
She gasped, pulling her hands back in shock. Her father had used her… maybe unknowingly, maybe to protect her. But now Azfar wanted that same key. That same control. And he had Mawra.
---
Meanwhile, Aabi stood on his balcony, staring at the city lights, his phone buzzing non-stop.
His mother had called him five times that day.
“You need to marry, Aabi. You’re the only one left to carry the family name.”
He knew his mother, Mrs. Hussain, wasn’t cruel. She was a widow who had raised him with strength and strict values. But she didn’t understand the weight he was carrying now — the company, Azfar’s threats, and most of all… Zulfishan.
He closed his eyes, and her face appeared. Her fear, her stubborn courage, her silent pain.
He couldn’t imagine marrying anyone else.
---
The next day, Zulfishan called Salman and asked him to meet her at the old park near their school.
When he arrived, she was already there, standing under a tree, arms folded tightly.
“Salman,” she said in a cold voice, “how long have you been hiding the truth from me?”
He flinched. “Zulfi, I—”
“You were part of my father’s project. So was Mawra. You knew what I was, didn’t you?”
Salman avoided her eyes. “We didn’t know everything. Azfar only told us small parts. I thought your father was doing it for the good of society. But Azfar—he twisted everything.”
Tears welled in Zulfishan’s eyes. “And Mawra? Was she involved willingly?”
Salman nodded slowly. “She needed the money. Your stepmother forced her into it.”
Zulfishan took a step back, dizzy. So it was true. Her own stepmother had handed her over—sold her secret to Azfar.
But there was no time to break down.
“Mawra is still with Azfar,” Zulfishan whispered. “He’s using her as leverage.”
---
Later that evening, Aabi finally came to see her. She opened the door, and without a word, he stepped in.
He looked at her for a long moment before speaking. “You’ve been crying.”
Zulfishan tried to smile. “A lot has happened.”
He stepped closer. “I know. And I’m not letting you go through this alone.”
His voice was low, deep, filled with something that shook her. Her eyes locked with his, and she felt warmth—something fierce, something real.
“You don’t have to protect me, Aabi,” she whispered.
“I want to,” he said. “Even if it means going against my mother.”
Zulfishan looked away. “She wants you to marry someone else.”
“I don’t care.”
She turned to him slowly. “You will. One day.”
“No,” he said softly, cupping her face gently. “You’re all I see, Zulfishan.”
The moment hung between them. She closed her eyes as his forehead touched hers—comfort, closeness, not quite a kiss, but something powerful.
---
In the shadows of a hidden warehouse, Azfar watched live footage from a security camera.
Zulfishan was finally remembering. Her emotions were pushing her closer to her full potential. Soon, her mind would unlock the codes.
Mawra, tied in a dark room, shouted at him again.
“You won’t get anything! Zulfishan will never help you!”
Azfar chuckled. “She already is. The pain, the fear—it sharpens her memory.”
He walked closer to her and bent down.
“Once I control her… I control everyone.”
---
Back in Zulfishan’s room, her phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number:
“If you want Mawra alive, come alone to the warehouse. No police. No Aabi.”
She looked up at Aabi who had just stepped into the room again.
She quickly hid the phone behind her back.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
Zulfishan smiled, painfully. “Yes... just tired.”
But in her heart, a storm was rising.
She was ready to end this—whatever the cost.
---
Thunder roared in the night sky as the city drowned in darkness. A storm was brewing — outside and inside Zulfishan’s soul.
She sat on her bed, gripping her phone tightly. The message from Azfar burned in her brain:
> “Come alone. No Aabi. No police. Or Mawra dies.”
Her chest ached with fear. But her face stayed calm.
She looked at the sleeping Aabi, who had fallen asleep on the sofa in the next room. His presence gave her comfort. His protection meant everything — but tonight, she had to protect him.
She wrote a short message and left it on the table.
> “Forgive me. I can’t risk losing you too.”
Then she slipped out of the house like a ghost.
---
Far across the city, in an abandoned factory surrounded by shadows, Mawra sat tied to a chair, her face bruised and pale. Blood trickled from her lip. But her eyes… they still held fire.
Azfar paced before her, calm and wicked.
“She’ll come,” he said with a sick grin. “Zulfishan always plays the hero.”
“You’ll regret this,” Mawra spat. “She’s stronger than you think.”
Azfar laughed. “And she’s mine now. Just like her father’s creation.”
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed outside.
A guard ran in. “Sir — she’s here.”
---
Zulfishan walked into the warehouse, rain soaking her clothes, her eyes sharp.
Two tall guards led her through rusted corridors lined with old machines and broken glass. The air smelled of oil and danger.
Then, the door opened — and she saw Mawra.
Tied. Bleeding. Crying.
“Mawra!” Zulfishan cried, rushing forward.
“Zulfi— No! Don’t do it! Don’t trust him!” Mawra screamed.
But Azfar stepped between them.
“You made it,” he said smoothly. “I knew you would.”
Zulfishan glared. “Let her go.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And miss this moment? Never.”
He pointed toward a massive, humming machine behind him — wires tangled, screens flashing strange codes, and a circular chair glowing in the center.
“This,” he said, “is your father’s legacy. The MindSync Program. Designed to rewrite memories, control thoughts… and you, my dear, are the key.”
Zulfishan’s heart dropped. “Why me?”
Azfar’s grin widened. “Because your father used your brain patterns. Your voice. He designed it to respond to you.”
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?” He pressed a button, and the machine flickered — a recording played.
A younger version of her father's voice echoed:
> “Only Zulfishan can finish it. Her voice is the last command. She must never know…”
Tears filled her eyes. “No… this can’t be real…”
“It is,” Azfar said. “And now, you will sit in that chair. Speak the activation code. Or your sister dies.”
Zulfishan looked at Mawra, shaking, whispering, “Don’t do it…”
Her legs trembled. But before she could take a step—
CRASH!
The metal door burst open.
Aabi.
Wet, furious, eyes blazing.
“Zulfishan!” he shouted.
Azfar growled. “I told you to come alone!”
Zulfishan turned in shock. “Aabi, no—he’ll kill you!”
But Aabi had already charged forward. One guard lunged at him — Aabi ducked, punched him straight in the jaw, and sent him crashing into a wall.
The second guard pulled out a weapon — Zulfishan grabbed a metal rod nearby and struck him across the back. He screamed, dropping to his knees.
Azfar grabbed Zulfishan by the arm. “You little—”
Aabi tackled him, both of them falling onto the machine, smashing control panels.
Sparks flew.
Azfar pushed Aabi off, panting. “You can’t stop this!”
He reached for a remote, aiming it at Mawra. “You lose.”
Zulfishan screamed, “NO!”
But just then—
Another figure appeared at the door.
Salman.
Breathing hard, face pale but determined.
He held up a USB drive.
“Looking for this?” he said coldly. “I’ve wiped your backups. Every trace of the program is gone.”
Azfar's face twisted in rage. “You traitor!”
“I helped you build this,” Salman said, stepping forward, “but I didn’t know you’d hurt Zulfishan… or Mawra.”
He looked at Zulfishan with guilt in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Zulfi. I should’ve stopped this sooner.”
Zulfishan didn’t respond. Her eyes were on Azfar, who now lunged toward the machine’s core — trying to activate it manually.
Aabi and Salman both ran at him.
Azfar screamed, smashing buttons — but the system sparked violently.
Suddenly — an explosion of white light. Smoke filled the air. The power cut out.
Everything went silent.
---
When the lights flickered back, Azfar lay unconscious, the machine sparking behind him.
Zulfishan collapsed to her knees, tears streaming.
Aabi rushed to her. “Are you okay?!”
“I… I almost said the code… I was so close…”
He pulled her into his arms, his voice shaking. “But you didn’t. You saved everyone.”
She hugged him tightly, unable to speak.
Salman quickly untied Mawra. The sisters embraced, sobbing.
“I’m sorry I ever doubted you,” Mawra whispered.
Zulfishan kissed her forehead. “We’ll never be broken again.”
---
Outside, the storm had passed.
But inside, their lives were forever changed.
The secret was out.
The nightmare was ending.
Or was it just beginning?
---
- Writer
