The 11:07 PM Guest

The return

The car was silent. Only the sound of tires on wet road.

Elena stared at her phone. "You just started a war. -A"

Who was A? Aarav? Aryan?

"Drive back," Elena said suddenly.

"What?" Aarav looked at her. "Are you crazy?"

"The dock," Elena said. "We go back. For Aryan."

"Elena, no," Khala said, holding her hand. "Beta, wo log wapis mil gaye toh—"

"Then they’ll have to kill me too," Elena cut her off. "He stayed for us. I’m not leaving him there."

Mira looked at Aarav in the mirror. Aarav sighed. "Fine. But we go in smart. No guns blazing."

They turned the car around.

12:14 AM. The dock was 8 minutes away.

As they got closer, they could see red and blue lights in the distance. Police. Or maybe them.

"Police aa gayi," Mira said. "Upload kaam kar gaya."

They parked 2 blocks away and walked. Rain was still falling.

The dock was chaos. Police cars. Ambulances. News vans starting to arrive. Yellow tape everywhere.

And in the middle of it, on the ground, covered with a white sheet.

Elena’s breath stopped.

"No," she whispered.

Aarav grabbed her arm. "Don’t. Don’t look."

Elena pulled away and ran.

She reached the body and pulled the sheet back with shaking hands.

It wasn’t Aryan.

It was one of the suited men. Dead. Gunshot to the chest.

Elena exhaled. Relief and guilt at the same time.

"Where is he?" she said out loud. "Where’s Aryan?"

A police officer came over. "Miss, area band hai. Aap yahan—"

"Did you see a man?" Elena asked. "Tall, injured shoulder, black jacket?"

The officer frowned. "There was a man. He was helping. Carrying people out. Then he left before we got here."

"Left? Kahan?" Elena asked.

"He was bleeding," the officer said. "Someone said he went toward the river."

Elena turned and ran again. Toward the river.

"Mira, car le kar aao!" Aarav shouted.

Elena ran along the riverbank. Calling his name. "Aryan! Aryan!"

No answer. Only water and rain.

Then she saw it. Footsteps. Bloody. Leading to an old boat house.

The door was half open.

Inside, it smelled like rust and blood.

And there, on the floor, leaning against the wall, was Aryan.

Eyes closed. Jacket soaked in blood. Gun on the floor next to him.

"Aryan!" Elena dropped to her knees.

His eyes opened slowly. "Tum... wapis kyun aayi?"

"Because I couldn’t leave you," Elena said, crying. She pressed her hands to his wound. "Hold on. Ambulance aa rahi hai."

Aryan smiled weakly. "Tumne kar diya? Upload?"

"Haan," Elena said. "Sab jagah hai. Ab wo log khatam hain."

"Good," Aryan whispered. "Toh mera kaam khatam."

"Mat bolo aise," Elena said. "Tumhara kaam khatam nahi hua."

Footsteps. Aarav and Mira ran in.

Aarav saw Aryan and stopped. For a second, hate. Then something else.

"Ambulance 2 minute mein," Mira said.

Aryan looked at Aarav. "List... leak ho gayi?"

"Haan," Aarav said. "Teri wajah se."

Aryan closed his eyes. "Acha hai."

Sirens got louder.

Paramedics came in with a stretcher.

As they lifted Aryan, he grabbed Elena’s hand.

"Mat rona," he whispered. "Ye end nahi hai. Ye shuruat hai."

Elena nodded, tears falling.

In the ambulance, on the way to the hospital, Elena held his hand the whole time.

The news was already on TV. "Massive data leak exposes international trafficking ring. Authorities making arrests."

It was over.

But Elena couldn’t stop thinking about one thing.

The text. "-A"

And the fact that Aryan’s phone was still in his pocket. Off.

So who sent the message?