Ashes and Aftermath

Arman and his friends stood among the scattered crowd, a little distance from the ruined jewelry shop. Flames still flickered in some parts of the wreckage, casting eerie shadows across the night. The scent of burning wood and melted metal lingered in the air.

The distant wails of sirens grew louder.

Within minutes, fire trucks pulled up to the scene, their red and blue lights flashing across the debris-strewn street. Firefighters rushed out, immediately working to control the flames. Right behind them, several police cars screeched to a stop. Officers stepped out, scanning the area, their hands resting on their holsters.

They had no idea the attackers were already dead.

A senior officer barked orders. "Find any civilians inside and secure the perimeter. We need statements from everyone here."

The officers moved quickly, dispersing into small groups. Some began questioning the people in the crowd, while others assisted the paramedics in checking for injuries. Fortunately, no one was critically hurt—just minor bruises, scrapes, and the occasional burn from flying debris.

Arman kept his face neutral, watching as the police worked. He knew the truth of what happened inside that store, but there was no way he could explain it to them. No one would believe that monsters from the void had attacked.

---

Half an hour passed. After intense effort, the firefighters finally extinguished the remaining flames. Smoke still curled in the air, but the danger was gone.

Then, another police car arrived.

The sleek, black vehicle rolled to a stop, and a woman stepped out.

She was tall, likely in her late twenties, dressed in a neatly pressed police uniform. Her long black hair cascaded down her back, complementing her sharp, striking features. Her presence alone commanded attention.

She approached the crowd, her gaze scanning over them with practiced precision.

"Is everyone safe here?" she asked, her voice firm yet calm.

Riyan stepped forward. "Yes, ma'am. Everyone is fine. But I think those attackers are still inside."

The woman gave a small nod. "Alright. We'll handle it."

Without hesitation, she gestured to a few constables to follow her and made her way toward the ruined jewelry store.

As soon as she stepped inside, the air changed.

The lingering heat from the fire mixed with a strange, metallic scent. The charred remains of wood and shattered glass crunched beneath her boots. But something else filled the air—a scent she knew too well.

Blood.

Her sharp eyes scanned the room as she moved further in. Then she saw it.

A body.

Crushed into the wall.

She approached slowly, her hand instinctively resting on her holster.

The corpse was barely recognizable. Its ribcage was shattered inward, the spine twisted unnaturally. One of its arms was bent at a horrific angle, and its skull had collapsed into itself, as if struck by something with unimaginable force.

Her breath slowed.

This wasn't normal.

This wasn't something a simple fight or explosion could have caused.

She crouched beside the body, inspecting the remains.

A bad feeling crept into her gut.

Something was very, very wrong.

She turned to her subordinates. "Search the area. See if there are more bodies."

The constables nodded and dispersed. The officer remained where she was, deep in thought.

This body… It wasn't just injured—it was obliterated. Whatever did this had massive strength, or power beyond human capability.

A few minutes later, one of the constables returned. His face was pale.

"Ma'am… We found three more bodies. You need to see this."

She followed him through the debris and stopped when she saw them.

The first body was a woman. Half of her head was missing, as if something had blown it apart from the right side.

The second had a gaping hole through its stomach, its insides charred.

The third was the most disturbing. Its skull was completely crushed, and its chest was encased in a cage of bone.

The officer crouched next to the third body and touched the bone structure. It was solid, unnatural.

Bone? But how? No human could do something like this.

She stood up and turned to the constable. "Check if we can retrieve any CCTV footage from the area. We need to know what happened here."

"Yes, ma'am." The constable hurried off to follow her orders.

Meanwhile, outside, where Arman and his friends were standing, more tourists from their trip had gathered. Among them, one man recognized Arman and approached him.

"Hey, kid! What's going on here?"

Arman didn't hesitate. "Some psycho killers attacked the jewelry shop. But we were lucky—no one from our group got hurt."

The man's expression darkened. "Damn… Hey, did you see Kabeer?"

Riyan turned toward him. "Who? Our guide?"

"Yeah," the man replied. "He left an hour ago. Said he'd be back in a few minutes, but he hasn't returned yet."

Something clicked in Arman's mind.

Kabeer…

He remembered seeing Kabeer talking to the tall man—the one who caused all of this. That happened when they were about to leave Mira Bagh Palace.

"Did you try calling him?" Arman asked.

The man nodded. "Yeah, but his number is unreachable."

A sense of unease settled over Arman. "Let's call the agency and ask about him."

The man pulled out his phone and dialed the travel agency's number. After a few rings, a woman picked up.

"Hello, sir. This is Social Meet Travel Agency. How can I help you?"

Arman took the phone. "I'm one of the travelers from today's Jaisagar City trip. We're trying to reach our guide, Kabeer, but his number is out of reach. Can you check his status?"

There was a brief pause. Then, the woman's voice became tense.

"Sir… That's not possible."

Arman frowned. "What do you mean?"

The woman hesitated. Then she said something that sent chills down Arman's spine.

"The guide you're talking about never came to work today. In fact… we received news that Kabeer died last night."

Arman's grip on the phone tightened. His breath caught in his throat.

"Are… Are you sure?"

"I'm certain, sir. There's no way he could have been with you today."

A lump formed in Arman's throat. He swallowed hard.

"If that's the case…" he muttered, "…then someone was pretending to be him."

He cut the call, his hands slightly trembling. His face had turned pale.

The man beside him noticed. "What happened? What did the agency say?"

Arman forced a small smile, trying to mask his unease.

"They said Kabeer had something urgent to deal with, so he had to leave early."

The man sighed. "Ah, makes sense. A shame, though. Well, we don't really need a guide anyway."

Arman said nothing.

His mind was racing.

Who was the man that had been with them all day? And more importantly… what did he want?