she smiled before killing chapter 3
2040 Words
Manal got ready for the party and was looking exceptionally beautiful. Seeing her, no one could judge that she could be colder than the most cold-hearted person.
And of course, somehow Iqrash also joined the party.
As expected, Hashim was present there.
Both Iqrash and Irtaza were keeping an eye on Hashim and Manal.
Irtaza: “Are you out of your mind? Hashim is such a dangerous person. Are you sure you want to leave him in her hands? Will she be able to catch him?”
Iqrash: “She has to prove herself if she wants to join us.”
Hashim came forward and asked Manal for a dance, and she accepted.
Iqrash was also dancing with Shahmir’s sister, Zara.
Zara (while dancing with Iqrash): “You are so handsome... You didn’t bring your partner here, so you are single, right?”
“It seems like Miss Zara is interested in me.”
He was looking at Manal while answering her.
A waiter passed by Manal, and she suddenly fell.
“I think I hurt my ankle.”
She was wearing heels, and when Hashim held her, he took her away and gave her first aid.
Hashim: “It’s already late, and it’s time for dinner. Would you mind joining me for dinner?”
Manal gave a smile.
“Mr. Hashim, don’t you think it’s inappropriate for us to have dinner this late at night?”
“Oh come on, it’s just dinner. Spending time with beautiful people makes time pass more happily.”
Manal understood that he was trying to take her away, but it wasn’t as simple as he was pretending it to be.
At the same time, Hashim also understood that something was wrong. On purpose, he got closer to Manal.
“Sure. Now that you are inviting me so wholeheartedly, how can I say no to a gentleman?”
Both of them were buttering each other up.
Iqrash to Irtaza: “Where are Manal and Hashim?”
“I don’t know. She hurt her ankle, so they should be in the room. But when I went there, they weren’t there anymore.”
Irtaza: “Don’t tell me something happened.”
Iqrash looked at Irtaza and said sarcastically,
“The food was actually delicious, wasn’t it?”
At first, Irtaza said yes, but then suddenly stopped.
“Okay, I was absent-minded, but you were also there. Why didn’t you notice?”
Iqrash: “Shut up. I was on a call with the senior.”
“Now what do we do? Our plan failed.”
“Shut up and find them at any cost. If Manal can’t handle him, she will be in danger.”
Manal and Hashim were in a private room with many bodyguards in black suits around them. There was a long table between them as they were having dinner. She had a fork 🍴 and knife in her hand.
Hashim: “The food here is delicious, isn’t it, Dr. Manal? Or should I call you Crime Branch Officer, narcotics investigator, or field intelligence officer?”
Manal: “So you got me, didn’t you? If you know this much about me, then you should also know this — I never let my prey escape.”
📚 He laughed out loud. “You are surely full of yourself. Can you even touch me without any weapons in your hands, with these men around me?”
She smiled and took a bite.
“You can’t even touch my hair. And I’ll make sure you won’t leave this place alive.”
Someone came from behind her with the intention of killing her. She turned the fork 🍴 in her hand and struck his vital vein in the neck. He died on the spot without mercy.
“Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Hashim. Even if you manage to kill me, I’ll at least take a hundred of your men down with me. And these are nothing.”
---
“Have you found her?” Iqrash asked.
Irtaza replied, “Someone said they left the party an hour ago.”
Both of them left the party in a hurry. While driving, he called to track her location.
The location was found. Iqrash drove at full speed.
Irtaza said, “I don’t know about her, but if you drive like this, we’ll be killed for sure.”
But it was like he hadn’t heard anything.
---
Manal broke plates 🍽️ and used everything in the room as her weapon 🔪. Blood was spread all over the room, some even staining her face. She kept attacking their vital points, killing them one by one. Hashim’s eyes widened in horror.
“L-leave me…”
Her clothes were torn into pieces, leaving her in only her undergarments and pants.
She placed her foot on his wounded chest and pressed her heel against it, saying,
“Drinking alcohol is bad for your health, and challenging me is bad for your life.”
“And one more thing — it’s never about how many people you have or how many weapons you own. It’s all about how much guts you have.”
She picked up a knife, rolling it between her fingers. While he begged for his life, she slit his neck in one swift move.
And Hashim’s story ended there.
---
She came out of the restaurant and sat for a while. She was bleeding badly. Taking a water bottle, she washed her face and left the place.
Not long after, Iqrash arrived there with Irtaza and his team, only to find the entire place destroyed as if a war had taken place.
He ordered everyone to search.
No one could find her.
Then suddenly, he heard a voice behind him.
“I knew you would be here.”
“Who are you?” he asked.
Iqrash turned around, and everyone stared at her. She was badly wounded.
Iqrash asked, “Are you okay?”
“Well, you don’t need to know that. Just tell me who you are. Why did you tell me Hashim was there? How do you know I’m searching for him? And how do you know me?”
“As far as I can assume, you’re an officer too, right?”
She was guessing.
Iqrash told his team to clean up the mess.
“Should we talk somewhere over coffee?” he asked.
“I don’t think we’re that close.”
“But we are officers, and we can work on the same team.”
“And you also need first aid.”
She agreed and left with him. While sitting in the car, she started treating her wounds herself.
“We’re going to the hospital. You can rest there,” Iqrash said.
In a cold tone, she replied, “I didn’t sit with you to go to a hospital. I hope you can tell me the reason.”
“Okay. Let me take you somewhere.”
They stopped at a rough-looking place. But once inside, it turned out to be an entire hidden police setup.
“You… Yousef sir?” she said the moment she saw her senior.
“Hello, Miss Manal. How are you? You’re wounded again. Seems like you’ve been busy with your duty.”
“It’s alright, sir. But what are you doing here?”
“Hmm… should we have coffee? Though I know you don’t like coffee much. I’m good with chai ☕ too.”
They sat in the office with tea.
“Manal, meet him. His name is Iqrash Khanzada from the Crime Branch. His team — Irtaza, Shahzaib, and Dua, our cyber expert.”
“Hello,” they greeted.
“And as I already told you all, she is Manal Sikandar, also a Crime Branch officer who has led many cases to their end.”
“Manal, we have a case, and we need your help,” Yousef said.
“Many girls have gone missing, and this case is far more dangerous than it looks. We’ve already been working on it, and Iqrash’s team almost caught the criminals, but we failed because someone from inside is leaking information.”
“So we need someone who can become their target, someone strong enough to survive. That’s why it was necessary for me to test you myself,” Iqrash explained.
“And the Hashim case was the test for me?”
“Well… you were searching for him too.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t hesitate before agreeing to the mission.
“You’re ready?” Yousef asked.
“As you know, sir, I’m always ready for duty.”
“Then welcome to the team,” Iqrash said.
“I’ll leave now. Let me know when there’s another move.”
She saluted her senior and walked out. Iqrash followed behind her.
---
“You don’t trust anybody, do you?” Iqrash asked.
“I trust evidence.”
“That sounds lonely.”
“That sounds safe.”
He smiled slightly.
“Sometimes they mean the same thing.”
---
“Leaving me at my door isn’t part of our mission, is it?” she asked.
“It’s a man’s responsibility to make sure a woman is safe, especially this late at night.”
But his intentions didn’t feel right to her.
She stepped closer, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“Make sure to stay away from me. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you won’t be able to protect any woman at night again.”
She shoved him hard and walked away.
---
While going home, she answered a phone call.
“It’s been a while since you came home. Come right now.”
She reached home, changed her clothes, and got ready.
Then she went to her family house.
“Wow, everyone is here,” she said while seeing everyone having dinner together. Her cousins were there too.
She greeted everyone and sat down to eat.
Suhana (Mom): “You didn’t wash your hands.”
Making a cute face, she got up to wash them.
Her hair was messy.
“Why didn’t you tie your hair?” her mother asked.
She was hiding her wounds.
“Mom, I was sleeping when you called, so I came in a hurry.”
Kashf, her cousin, smiled. “You’re about to get married. Take proper care of yourself.”
Manal suddenly went quiet while eating.
Hannan said, “I think we should finish our food first.” He served beef onto Manal’s plate. “You like it, right? Eat some.”
“Shut up, Hannan,” her mother scolded. “Let me talk to her.”
“Kavish came here today with his family. I called you so many times, but you never showed up.”
“The date is fixed.”
The food got stuck in Manal’s throat.
She put her spoon 🥣 down and stood up.
“Mom, enough. Please.”
Kashf said, “Why are you behaving like this? Auntie is only thinking about your future.”
Manal felt like she had enough and left the dining table.
---
She sat alone in her room, staring at the moon.
Maybe she was thinking about Zaveyaar.
Looking up at the sky, she closed her eyes.
“Can I see you just once? I’m feeling miserable.”
“I can live alone my whole life… but the thought of being with someone else after what I did to you still hurts me. Have you forgiven me?”
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
Then she went to sleep.
---
The next day, she didn’t go to the hospital.
Her mother asked, “Are you on leave?”
“Yeah, but I’m going outside.”
“Where are you going?”
“To visit a friend.”
“You have time, so why don’t you meet Kavish?”
“Mom, not again, please. I’m begging you.”
She changed her shoes and left the house.
---
Sikander sighed. “Don’t you think you’re being too controlling?”
“Now you’ll say this too?” Suhana replied. “I’m her mother. No one understands my children better than I do.”
“I’m doing this for her own good. Maybe she just doesn’t understand it yet.”
- Writer
