CHAPTER 12: RUNNING AWAY

CHAPTER 12: RUNNING AWAY

Pia's Point of View

The quiet hum of early morning filled the air as I stepped outside, heart thudding like a war drum in my chest. The sky was gray, the kind that made the world feel suspended between night and day. I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt over my head, fingers trembling, breath shallow.

I didn't know where I was going. I just knew I had to leave.

The house was silent when I slipped out, like it had been holding its breath. My footsteps on the pavement were soft, yet every sound felt loud—too loud. The chirping of birds, the rustle of leaves in the wind, even the whisper of my own thoughts.

My legs carried me instinctively toward the only place that should have offered me sanctuary: home.

But as I neared the familiar street, dread filled my stomach like thick smoke. I stopped short, hidden behind a row of parked cars as I looked toward my parents' house.

I couldn't go there.

They didn't believe me. No one did.

A wave of helplessness washed over me. My mother's gentle but firm words rang in my ears—"Arjun loves you, Pia. Trust him." My father's furrowed brow, the way he avoided my eyes. And Rishi, my beloved brother, who had always been my safe place, had only asked me to calm down and take care of myself. Even he had offered no answers.

I turned away, chest tightening. My breaths came in shallow gasps. My feet moved again—no destination, no direction. Just away.

Away from them all.

The city was beginning to stir as I wandered aimlessly through the streets. Honks, footsteps, conversations. Each sound pierced through my head like a nail. I reached the busy intersection near the central crossing. The red pedestrian signal glared at me, but I barely noticed.

Something was clawing at the back of my mind.

A memory.

A sound. Music, maybe. Laughter?

The party. That night.

I shut my eyes tightly, gripping my temples. Pain flared. Flashes. I saw lights—colored, swirling lights. Arjun beside me, his hand on my waist. But then it shifted—another face, not Arjun's, blurry and dark.

My legs felt weak.

No... it was all mixed up. None of it made sense. I remembered laughing, then everything went dark. Why couldn't I remember clearly?

The signal changed to green, and the people around me surged forward. I didn't move.

A loud honk shattered the fog.

The world tilted.

Pain exploded in my head. A crushing, nauseating weight filled my chest. The honking grew louder, angrier. Someone shouted, "Hey! Move!" but their voice sounded far away, like underwater.

I stood frozen in the middle of the road, arms wrapped around myself.

Something was wrong.

Something was missing.

Another flash—this time of me crying. No, screaming? With different colours.My vision blurred. A large road. My stomach twisted.

And then—nothing.

The pain in my skull became unbearable. My knees buckled. Everything spun.

I fell.

Darkness.

---

Voices echoed. Not real ones—just echoes.

"What's happening?"

"Call the ambulance!"

"She just collapsed!"

"Pregnant woman, maybe—"

"She's breathing. Pulse is weak. Help is on the way."

I wanted to open my eyes, to speak, to scream. But I was trapped in the black void, my limbs heavy, my throat dry.

The siren of the ambulance rang distantly, growing louder.

Hands lifted me gently. I felt cold metal under my back. A voice spoke close to my ear, calm but urgent. "Ma'am, you're going to be okay. We're taking you to the hospital."

Hospital.

The word jolted something inside me. Safety? Or danger?

I couldn't tell anymore.

I drifted again, the rhythmic sway of the ambulance rocking me gently. I let it take me.

To what—I didn't know.

To answers.

Or maybe to more questions.

But one thing was certain:

I couldn't run forever.

And the truth—whatever it was—was starting to bleed through the cracks of my mind.