"Khoon saaf nahi hota, bas rang badalta hai,"
"Safed pe likha sach, zyada cheekhta hai."
The car stopped at the end of the road and He stepped out slowly. He wore a long white coat and a hoodie pulled low over his head. A mask covered the lower half of his face with no expression, nothing except his calculating eyes and the faint outline of cheekbones and a strong jaw could be seen. To anyone else, the bright white might have seemed out of place__ too clean, too pure for a night like this. But to him, it was perfect, He believed blood looked better on white. In his world, white wasn't innocence, it was a canvas for his deeds.
He looked up.
The mansion stood in front of him..... huge, black and silent. It didn't look old. It looked... wrong. The walls were too tall, the windows too dark, the shape of the house twisting in strange ways like....
Then he walked through the open gate.
The black stones shifted beneath his shoes as he moved closer to the door. With every step, the mansion seemed to rise taller, as if it was waiting for him and his cruel laugh.
The door was massive — black wood, no handle, no bell.
Still, he pushed it.
It opened with a long, low creak. The sound echoed into the dark. He stepped inside.
And.....the screaming began.....Soft at first....Far away......Then louder....hundreds of voices, some crying, some laughing but not a normal laugh.... most just screaming. It was coming from inside the walls, or maybe from under the floor.. But he kept walking like it was a routine or maybe he was deaf.
The hallway was long and cold. Black floors, black walls, and strange lights that flickered like dying candles. There was no furniture. No dust. Just long, empty space that felt too big that It was horror and suffocating.
A door on the right opened by itself. Light spilled out..... soft, golden light that didn't match the rest of the mansion. He walked over to it and entered. The door shut and The mansion sparkled behind it like a happy creature.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEXCGDdhJj
Someone pushed against iron bars drilled into stone at the distant wall. In the light.....they appeared little...too little, with lowered shoulders, messy hair, and bloodshot eyes and a rag muffling his mouth.
"Wake up," he said, unclipping the rag and letting it fall.
"You remember me, don't you?" the man asked, voice low and calm.
The captive let out a voice half apology, half plea.
"You can call me Serpent... I like the way it sounds" He said while staring in the captive eyes who quickly lowered his gaze due to fear.
"Names are messy," Serpent said with a chuckle and holding the captive's chin with a single gloved finger
"Tell me what you kept. Tell me what you took.''
When the answers failed, Serpent didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to...
"You like to forget," he said softly. "I don't." He leaned closer and traced the curve of the captive's ear with the tip of his finger, slow and almost tender. "Remembering hurts. That's useful." He said and took a jar from his coat... cleaned jar with a tight lid. He held it up between them, and the captive watched it with sudden attention. Inside, something small and white swam in a liquid. He smiled under the mask... An evil smile that could tell how cruel he was.
"This puts things back in order," Serpent said. He set it down on the floor beside them... tapped the glass that produced a thud sound and it echoed back in the room.
"N..noo..Pl..e...ple..a....se" The captive try to speak
"I really like white color so..." With that he opened the lid and something came out with HISSS sound
"Don't worry you won't die until you starts bleeding from the bites.....You made a choice I just completed the paperwork......MAY ALLAH GRANT YOU JANNAH"
With that he went out and the door closed and bulb broke with a big sound
Outside, the corridor swallowed him whole again.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BSWeyHheF
The door shut behind him with a dull finality—no slam, no echo. Just silence, thick and suffocating.
He took a few steps.
Then stopped.
A man stood ahead.
Dressed in black. Still. Waiting. No mask this time. His posture was calm, almost ceremonial, as if violence were a routine he had long mastered. His eyes were sharp, watchful—eyes that knew this place too well, that had seen blood dry into its stones.
"You're late," the man said.
Serpent studied him. For the first time that night, his voice dropped its edge.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXZZNoU0ZL
"Yes."
"Work done?" the man asked, already knowing the answer.
Serpent nodded once.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9A5cFzHvW2
"Yes."
The man's lips curved—not a smile, not quite.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQrtAYvLbF
"Then let's go home."
Serpent didn't answer. He pulled his coat tighter around himself. His steps, once ruthless and unthinking, now carried a controlled weight—as if something inside him had settled... or cracked.
"Raza," he said, almost absently,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjdd8YDkpE
"Next time, don't come in without telling me."
Raza shrugged, unfazed.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwiZpvFqDf
"You always say that. And yet you never send me away."
Serpent let out a slow breath.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsA9B1gV0Aj
"Because you know your job."
Raza fell silent. He understood. From Serpent, that was not just approval—it was trust. Rare. Dangerous.
They walked on.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbE5NkYJXVi
Behind them, the corridor seemed to exhale, the mansion retreating into its own darkness, sealing away what had happened within its walls.
"What's the plan in the morning?" Raza asked.
Serpent didn't break stride.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovgdzYs1xS
"Rest first. Then the next step."
Raza nodded.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcKOFz1IAP
"As always."
When they stepped into the night, the shadows closed around them like something familiar.
They weren't just partners.
They shared a roof soaked in secrets, breathed the same silence, carried the same sins.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrw9w6JMbyx
And while the rest of the world was made of faces and names—
they were bound by duty, by darkness, by choices that could never be undone.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeh5UXIXzkW
Not brothers by birth, but by what they had survived together.
Brothers only in the way the shadows understand.
____________________________________
"Khoon se kam, waqt se zyada rishtay bantay hain,"
"Jo roz ki subahon ko ghar bana jaatay hain."
Morning light slowly spread through the kitchen. Sunlight from the window cast a soft glow over the plates and steel utensils on the counter. The smell of warm toast and frying eggs filled the air—the kind of smell that makes a place feel like home.
Raza stood by the stove. His movements were steady and confident, as if everything was under control. Eggs sizzled softly in the pan. His face carried the calm that comes from doing something right.
Beside him, Zayn stood at the chopping board. Even while cutting vegetables, there was a mischievous spark in his eyes. He'd glance at Raza now and then, deliberately bringing the knife down a little harder.
"Raza Bhai" Zayn said, suppressing a laugh,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm14FbTcQjL
"this much seriousness for breakfast? Feels like a mission."
Raza replied without turning around,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcW77U6Sjn
"Breakfast is a mission. Especially for people like you."
Zayn burst out laughing.
Rahil stood near the counter, placing toast onto a plate. His movements were quiet, measured. He observed everyone without speaking. There was a quiet reassurance in his eyes—the morning after the night always reminded him that home was still intact.
"Enough," Rahil said gently.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGFalfhZnO
"Don't start fighting this early."
And then there was Azlan.
Relaxed on the sofa, coffee cup in hand. Legs stretched out, as if the weight of the world had never touched his shoulders. He watched everyone silently—but with full attention.
Raza turned to him.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPrXRCxR78
"Azlan, if you don't help today either, you're getting only toast."
Azlan took a sip of coffee and sighed dramatically.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySotknK7ul
"I'm working."
Zayn raised an eyebrow.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQPf6TeMjw
"What kind of work?"
"Quality control," Azlan said proudly.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNX0zaRNHzC
"Someone has to make sure breakfast is fit for human consumption."
A faint smile appeared on Rahil's lips.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QdKgwwtcj
"Yours is the hardest responsibility," he said.
Soon, they all sat at the table. Hot plates in front of them, steam rising. Coffee cups releasing gentle warmth. For a few moments, there was only the sound of cutlery—silence that wasn't awkward, but familiar.
Azlan took a bite of toast. While chewing, he suddenly said,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uDT7fYmtp
"So... Bhai can I ask something?"
Rahil replied without looking up,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54HiLGHWqF
"I'll tell you in advance—you won't get an answer."
Zayn laughed.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZR62C2v0XQ
"Marriage."
Azlan grinned.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfM9zVydCdC
"Exactly. See? It's already in everyone's head."
Rahil took a sip of coffee. For a brief second, something crossed his eyes—a thought, a memory—but he left it there.
"Eat your breakfast," he said simply.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5P0luww8xo
"Mornings aren't for personal planning."
Raza didn't push further.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZ0N8PyLN0
"When Rahil thinks it's right, he'll tell us himself
The topic ended, but for a moment, Raza's gaze lingered on Rahil's face—like he understood that the topic wasn't avoided, just carefully protected.
And breakfast returned to its rhythm—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBt215vhE8
with laughter, ease, and the feeling of home.
_________________________________________
NOTE TO READERS:
Thank you for being with me at the very first step of this journey.
Your thoughts, your feedback, and your words59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOC9GBMFPg
can make this story even better.
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then walk with me through the next step as well. 🌸
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