Silently Broken
1517 Words
Chapter 7 - Silently Broken
Mr. Walia nodded slowly, but his tone remained serious.
“Still… you should be cautious.
Strange things are happening in this city.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“I need more information about your brother’s work.
He must have known something... something important.
Perhaps it’s connected to the missing people.”
The professor thought for a moment.
“Yes… that’s possible,” he said.
“But honestly, I don’t know much.
All I found at his house was a diary... a collection of his stories.”
Mr. Walia’s eyes sharpened.
“I want to see that diary.”
The professor nodded.
“Alright. Tomorrow, after college, I’ll be free. We can meet again then.”
Mr. Walia asked impatiently,
“But where is that diary right now?”
“It was kept in a secret safe at his house,” the
professor replied.
“I looked through it briefly, read a little, and then placed it back.”
Mr. Walia couldn’t hide his curiosity.
“What was written in it?” he asked.
“In those stories?”
“Strange stories,” the professor said.
“They didn’t interest me much at the time, so I put it away.
But after our conversation tonight…”
He paused.
“…my interest in those stories has certainly grown.”
Mr. Walia nodded.
“Alright. We’ll look into it tomorrow.”
(Thirty Minutes Later)
It was nearly 8:00 PM.
Dark clouds had gathered overhead, as if rain might fall at any moment.
After finishing dinner, Mr. Walia got into his car and began driving home...
old songs playing softly on the radio.
His house was some distance away, and the roads were mostly empty.
He turned onto a narrow shortcut that led toward his neighborhood.
The road was eerily deserted, but Mr. Walia was used to traveling alone at night.
Soon, his car approached a small bridge, beneath which a narrow canal flowed.
As he neared the bridge, he noticed a shadow standing in the middle of the road.
Mr. Walia slowed down.
As he came closer, he saw an unusual man standing there.
He brought the car to a stop.
The man walked toward him.
He wore old, worn out clothes and looked like a villain from another era. The man gestured for Mr. Walia to lower the window.
Mr. Walia stared at him coldly, then rolled the window down slightly.
“What do you want?” Mr. Walia snapped.
“Trying to get yourself killed by standing in front of cars?”
The man replied in a pleading tone,
“Sir, my wife is sick. I’m taking medicine for her.
I need to get home quickly.
Could you please give me a lift up ahead?”
Mr. Walia sneered.
“Looking at that cursed face of yours, it doesn’t seem like you even have a wife.”
The man frowned.
“Sir… why would you say such a thing?”
Suddenly, the man slipped his hand into his pocket... And pulled out a knife.
Before he could make another move,
Mr. Walia swiftly drew his gun and fired two shots.
The sound of gunfire rings out there.
The man screamed in pain and stumbled backward, falling into the canal below.
Mr. Walia stepped out of the car and looked down.
The man’s body was being carried away by the flowing water.
Mr. Walia clenched his jaw.
“Bastard…” he muttered.
“Thought he could outsmart me.”
He glanced around to make sure no one was watching.
Then he quickly got back into his car and drove away, disappearing into the darkness.
( Next Morning)
It was another cold yet beautiful winter morning.
As soon as the alarm rang, Krish woke up.
Today was special for him.
Today, he was going to ask Julie to be his friend.
He truly believed that
love always begins with friendship.
He got ready quickly... new clothes, a new perfume.
Standing in front of the mirror, a faint smile appeared on his face.
“Perfect.”
He quietly stepped out of his room, trying not to draw attention.
Just then, his brother Ricky stopped him.
“Where are you going, all dressed up like this?”
Krish hesitated for a moment, then replied,
“A friend’s birthday party.”
Ricky smirked and said sharply,
“Dad took a loan to pay your college fees,
and you’ve stopped studying and started new dramas now?”
Krish didn’t respond.
He started his old bike and rode away.
For a while, he stayed silent on the road.
Then Julie’s face crossed his mind...
And the smile returned.
A little later, Krish reached the bus station.
Sam and Nick were already there.
The three friends greeted each other and wished Happy Friendship Day.
Sam laughed and said,
“Today’s party is on Krish!”
Nick added enthusiastically,
“Krish… whatever happens today, we’ve got your back.”
Krish stopped them.
“Don’t jinx it before anything happens.
This matters a lot to me.”
They waited for Julie.
Her bus timing had already passed,
but she still hadn’t arrived.
Time kept slipping by.
Sam looked around restlessly and said,
“Let’s walk a little ahead.
Maybe we’ll spot her on the way.”
The four of them stepped out of the station and walked toward the road Julie usually took.
A little distance ahead, Nick suddenly stopped.
“Hey… look.”
Across the road, one of Julie’s friends was standing outside a food shop.
Through the glass door, it was clear...
Julie was inside, having breakfast with her friends.
Krish and his friends stood on the other side of the road, watching silently.
After a while, the girls realized that someone was waiting outside.
They whispered among themselves, smiling.
But Julie looked different. Uneasy.
Almost as if she was trying to hide.
Even after a long wait, Julie didn’t come out.
Krish spoke anxiously,
“Guys… something doesn’t feel right.
My heart is pounding really fast.”
Sam tried to reassure him.
“Relax. Girls get shy at first. That’s all.”
But Krish couldn’t shake the feeling.
“No… this feels wrong.
Look at her... she looks uncomfortable seeing me. Let’s move aside for now.”
Nick nodded.
“Honestly… I don’t feel good about staying here either.
Their behavior feels strange.”
The three friends moved a little farther away and stopped, still keeping an eye on the food shop from a distance.
Despite the winter cold, the atmosphere around them felt heated.
Then...
A black sports bike stopped outside the food shop.
The guy riding it had messy hair and a clear bad boy vibe.
Moments later, Julie and her friends stepped outside.
Julie walked straight toward that boy.
They laughed, talked for a few seconds...
And then Julie sat on his bike.
The bike sped away.
Krish and his friends stood there,
just watching. In silence.
Nick finally spoke, his voice broken.
“Krish… your ‘good girl’ Julie
seems to have a completely different story.”
Sam added quietly,
“Maybe you were wrong.
She’s not like you… just look at her choice.”
Krish said nothing.
His eyes were wet.
His face heavy with disappointment.
He couldn’t believe it.
The Julie he had known since school... simple, quiet, someone who kept her distance from boys...
That same Julie had just ridden away with a stranger, right in front of him.
It was a heartbreaking moment for Krish.
He was sensitive by nature,
and wounds like this cut deeper into him than they would into an ordinary person.
Nick said softly,
“Your heart is broken…
but somehow, I feel the pain too.”
No one joked anymore.
Everyone was silent.
Then Sam’s phone rang.
After listening, he said,
“The university results are out online.”
The tension grew heavier.
Each of them entered their roll numbers on their phones.
After a moment, Nick spoke first.
“I cleared… 67%.”
Sam clenched his jaw.
“I failed in one subject.
That professor… the one I argued with about internals.”
Nick slowly turned toward Krish.
“Krish… you failed in one subject too.”
The day became even heavier for Krish.
He tried to explain... his illness, the argument with the professor...
But inside, shame and fear were consuming him.
What if my family finds out?
His father had taken a loan to pay his college fees.
If he came to know the truth…
Sam spoke in a tired voice,
“This day is cursed. I’m going home.”
Nick stayed back for a moment.
“Things like this happen, bro.
Everything will be fine. You should go home now.”
Krish only nodded silently.
Krish didn’t say much, but his face revealed everything.
He quietly said goodbye to Nick, mounted his old bike, and rode away.
As he drove, a storm of dark thoughts raged inside his mind.
He didn’t want to go home.
Instead of turning toward his house, Krish took the road that led out of the city.
Next Chapter...
- Writer
