The black-eyed corpse lunged—fast, unnatural, unholy.
Veer barely dodged in time. The woman's clawed hands scraped past his face, missing him by inches. But her smile never faltered.
Behind him—
Zayan slammed his crowbar into another corpse's skull. The impact cracked through the air, sending the withered body collapsing back into its coffin. But instead of going still, it twitched, shuddered—then sat up again, its head tilting, mouth stretching into a grotesque grin.
"These things don't stay down," Karan gritted out. He had his knife buried deep in one of their chests, but the corpse simply grasped his wrist, holding on like it felt no pain.
"Then we burn them," Rudra snapped. He grabbed a nearby kerosene lamp from an old wooden table and hurled it against the farthest coffin. The flames roared to life.
The fire licked at the wooden coffins, spreading fast—but the bodies inside didn't even flinch. Instead, they laughed. That same eerie, breathless chuckle, filling the air like whispers from the dead.
And the woman—
She was still staring at Veer.
Her black eyes bore into him. Unblinking. Searching.
Then—she whispered.
"You came back, Veer."
His blood ran cold.
"How do you know my name?" Veer demanded, stepping back.
She tilted her head, her grin widening. "Because you were always meant to return."
His grip on his knife tightened. The flames grew higher, flickering in the corners of his vision. The others were still fighting—Zayan had just slammed another corpse into a wall, while Karan and Rudra were keeping the fire from spreading too fast.
But Veer couldn't look away.
The woman lifted a finger, pointing directly at his chest.
And then she spoke a name.
A name that shattered everything.
"Avni."
Veer's entire body froze.
The air around him changed.
The flames warped, the screams of the corpses fading into an unnatural hush—like the world itself had just been ripped apart.
And then—
Pain.
Blinding pain.
Something sharp tore across Veer's side. He barely registered the black-eyed woman's claws sinking into his skin before his knees buckled.
"Veer!"
Someone shouted his name—Zayan, maybe. He wasn't sure.
His vision blurred.
The floor tilted beneath him.
And then—
He collapsed.
---
The first thing he heard was laughter.
Soft. Familiar. Warm.
Then—the scent of jasmine.
Veer knew this place.
The old garden.
A place long buried in his memories.
And standing before him—
Was Avni.
She wasn't older, wasn't changed—she was exactly as he remembered. Sunlight in her hair, mischief in her smile. She stood barefoot in the grass, twirling a white flower between her fingers.
"You look lost, Veer."
Her voice.
God, her voice.
It cut through him like a blade, because he knew—he knew this wasn't real.
She was dead.
She had been gone for years.
Yet, here she was.
Veer clenched his jaw. "This is a dream."
Avni just smiled, tilting her head. "If it is, why do you look so scared?"
He didn't answer.
Because she wasn't wrong.
"You're not supposed to be here," he said instead, his voice rough. "This place—this isn't real."
She sighed. "Maybe not. But tell me, Veer… when was the last time you let yourself remember me?"
His breath caught.
Avni's eyes softened. "You keep running. Forgetting."
His hands curled into fists. "That's not true."
"Isn't it?" She took a step forward. He didn't move. "You buried me the moment I was gone. You never let yourself think about me."
His throat burned.
"Because it hurts," she whispered.
Veer squeezed his eyes shut. "Stop."
"You keep looking for answers, Veer. But maybe you're just scared of what you'll find."
His chest ached.
And when he finally opened his eyes—
She was gone.
The garden vanished.
And in its place—
Was the orphanage.
Only this time, it wasn't abandoned.
It was full.
Children ran through the halls, their laughter echoing in the air. The walls were bright, clean. It was a home, not a tomb.
But as Veer turned—he saw her.
Not Avni.
The woman from the coffin.
Standing in the middle of the hall, staring at him.
But now—
She looked normal.
Alive.
And when she spoke, her voice was no longer a whisper.
---
Back in the Present
He gasped, sitting up fast.
Pain tore through his side. His hands shot to the wound, feeling the damp warmth of blood.
"Shit," Karan muttered. "He's awake."
Zayan smirked, but his eyes were tense. "Took you long enough."
Rudra exhaled, shaking his head. "You scared the hell out of us, Veer."
Veer blinked, trying to catch his breath. "How long was I out?"
"Few hours," Karan said. "The fight ended after you collapsed. The bodies—" He paused, glancing toward the darkened room. "They stopped moving."
Veer frowned. "Just like that?"
"They just… dropped." Rudra rubbed the back of his neck. "Like someone cut their strings."
Zayan folded his arms. "So, what the hell happened, Veer? What did you see?"
Veer swallowed.
Because he knew now.
This orphanage wasn't just another case.
It was his past.
And somewhere deep in this place—
Was the truth he had forgotten.