Eternal Hunt

The Highway Rescue

After a while, the heavy rain finally stopped. Not wanting to waste any more time or linger in the awkward tension, Aadi decided it was best to leave immediately. It was still very early in the morning and pitch dark outside, but they packed up and headed out anyway. Aadi bid a quiet goodbye to his ex-girlfriend, got into the car with Shreya, Piya, and Kartik, and they set off on their journey back home.

They were at least 200 kilometers away from Sanchi, driving through a highly remote and underdeveloped area. The roads stretching ahead of them were long, desolate, and wrapped in an unsettling darkness.

Suddenly, the car sputtered and came to a dead halt. Steam began to hiss from the hood as if the engine had severely overheated. Everyone was confused—they had barely just started their journey, so how could the car overheat so quickly?

Frowning, Aadi tried to rationalize it. "Maybe because of the heavy storm last night, rainwater seeped into a sensitive part of the engine," he said, though the eerie silence of the remote road made the situation feel incredibly unsettling.

The forest was incredibly dense, and having just survived an emotionally exhausting night, everyone was already on edge. When the car broke down, a sudden wave of fear hit them. Aadi stepped out to check the engine. Everything looked normal, but the engine was severely overheated. It desperately needed water. They didn't have any spare water in the car, so they figured that since it had rained heavily the night before, there had to be a fresh water source nearby that they could use for the radiator.

"So, who is going to get the water?"

"Obviously, Aadi," Shreya chimed in instantly.

Aadi gave her a strange look—did she not care about his safety, or did she just trust him that much? Piya and Kartik quickly jumped in, insisting that Shreya should go with Aadi while they stayed behind to watch the car. Aadi told Shreya it was safer if she stayed back, but she stubbornly insisted on going with him. Together, they headed into the dense woods.

As they walked, Shreya looked around. "Aadi, don't you think we have a very deep connection with the forest?"

Aadi: "Why?"

Shreya: "We first met in the forest, and almost all of our major trips have been in the woods."

Aadi: "So, you like the forest?"

They kept walking. Thanks to his sharp senses, Aadi picked up the faint sound of a waterfall nearby, and he guided them toward it. Shreya was wearing very simple clothes, but she looked incredibly cute—a fact Aadi couldn't help but notice. The rain from last night had passed, leaving the forest thick with heavy humidity. Both of them were feeling hot, sticky, and sweaty.

After a short hike, they found the waterfall. Aadi quickly filled the empty bottle. Just as he turned around to head back, he heard a loud splash. He instantly whipped his head around and saw Shreya standing right in the middle of the water, completely drenched. She took another playful dip, soaking her hair and clothes entirely, before looking up at him.

Aadi: "Are you crazy? You don't have any dry clothes. How are you going to go home like that?"

But Shreya just looked at him with dark, seductive eyes. Unable to resist, Aadi slowly waded into the waterfall. They started splashing and playing in the water, closing the distance between them until they were chest-to-chest.

Meanwhile, back at the car, Piya and Kartik were sitting outside. The heavy humidity was getting to them too, and they started getting handsy. Feeling the heat of the moment, Piya decided it was better to get inside the car. The moment the doors closed, they completely lost themselves in each other—deep kisses, tight hugs, hands roaming everywhere.

They were so absorbed in their passion that they didn't even notice another vehicle pulling up right beside them. Four or five local guys stepped out, and one of them pulled out his phone and started recording a video of them making out through the window. Suddenly, Piya opened her eyes and saw them. She gasped in absolute horror, scrambling to fix her clothes. The group of guys completely surrounded the car, trapping them inside. Piya and Kartik were paralyzed with fear.

Back at the waterfall, the heat between Aadi and Shreya had reached a boiling point. They were locked in a deep, passionate kiss, Aadi's hands gripping her wet back tightly. But suddenly, Aadi's sharp ears picked up a faint, distant sound—it was Piya, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Aadi immediately broke the kiss. Shreya, still lost in the trance of the moment, tried to pull him back in, but Aadi was already on high alert. His eyes scanned the treeline.

"Let's go back," he ordered sharply.

Snapping back to reality, Shreya realized something was terribly wrong. They scrambled out of the water and hurried back through the trees. Aadi was walking incredibly fast, fueled by adrenaline. In her rush to keep up, Shreya's foot caught on something, and her ankle twisted painfully.

Seeing her wince in pain, the tension skyrocketed. Without wasting a single second, Aadi scooped Shreya up in his arms, carrying her tightly against his chest, and began to sprint through the dense forest toward the car.

As soon as Aadi reached the car, he witnessed a horrifying scene. One guy was forcing himself on Piya, while three others had Kartik pinned down. They were trying to brutally grab and claw at Piya. Aadi immediately signaled Shreya to stay completely quiet and made her lie down hidden in the nearby bushes. Terrified, Shreya silently watched everything unfold from her hiding spot.

The moment Piya saw Aadi, she finally caught a breath of hope. Aadi stepped right up and commanded in a cold, furious voice, "Let her go."

One of the guys smirked and laughed, "Look, their friend is here! Hey, where's your girl? She must be around here too..."

Hearing that, Aadi's rage skyrocketed. Without a second's hesitation, he launched a devastating kick straight to the guy's face. Blood instantly spurted from his nose, and he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony. The guys holding Kartik immediately lunged toward Aadi. But Aadi didn't back down; he leaped and delivered a full-force 'Superman punch' straight to their faces. The sound of their nasal bones shattering echoed in the air as they dropped, screaming in pain.

Now, his eyes locked onto the guy who had grabbed Piya. Seeing Aadi marching toward him, the guy instantly let go of Piya and started trembling, begging for forgiveness. But Aadi grabbed him directly by the throat and hoisted him into the air. His legs dangled helplessly off the ground.

Crying, Piya hurriedly fixed her torn clothes. Just then, Shreya came limping out of the bushes. She threw her arms around Piya, who burst into loud sobs the moment they hugged. Seeing the violence, Shreya pleaded, "Aadi, let him go! Let's just get out of here!" Aadi threw the choking guy aside like a ragdoll. The rest of the attackers were completely knocked out; none of them could even stand up.

Aadi quickly poured the water into the car's engine and yelled, "Get in, quickly!" Kartik, who was also bruised, took the front passenger seat while Aadi jumped behind the wheel. The two girls got into the back. The engine roared to life, and they sped away from the nightmare.

Inside the car, Piya's eyes were still brimming with tears. But as she looked over at Shreya, confusion crossed her face. "What happened to you? Why are you completely soaked?"

Without turning around, Aadi said from the driver's seat, "My clothes are in the back. Put them on."

Both Aadi and Kartik kept their eyes glued straight ahead so the girls wouldn't feel uncomfortable. In the backseat, Shreya took off her wet lower garments and underwear, while Piya quickly draped a cover over her legs to give her privacy. Shreya slipped into Aadi's pajamas and t-shirt, then grabbed a towel to dry her soaking wet hair.

Taking in the sheer absurdity and intensity of the situation—how Aadi and Shreya were completely drenched for no apparent reason, and how they had all just survived such a terrifying ordeal—a faint smile slowly broke through Piya's tears. Soon, she started chuckling. Slowly, Shreya and Kartik started laughing too. Finally, a relieved smile appeared on Aadi's face as well. The day had been unbelievably intense, but thank God, Piya's dignity had been saved by a hair's breadth, and they were finally safe.