the last noor : chapter 8

Title : Shadows of the Night

Sajiya rushed into the hospital, her heart pounding wildly against her ribs. Elyas's condition had worsened overnight, and every step she took toward the ICU felt heavier, as if unseen chains tried to drag her down.

Standing outside the ICU door, she pressed her forehead against the cold wall, her body trembling violently. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but her mind had gone blank, unable to process anything beyond the growing fear gnawing at her chest. Slowly, she stumbled toward Elyas's bedside and sank to her knees, clutching his hand tightly as heart-wrenching sobs shook her frame.

But she wasn't alone.

Something else lingered nearby — an invisible shadow, thick and suffocating, clinging to her like a second skin. It watched her, fed on her despair, and grew stronger with every tear that fell from her eyes.

As the sterile hospital air pressed around her, a strange, sweet scent suddenly drifted in — the faint, pure fragrance of newborns from the maternity wing. His grief momentarily paused, his senses sharpening. In that fragrance, something stirred... something dark and restless.

And then, a second scent hit him— rarer, sharper.

A smell few beings could detect: the scent of pure, rare blood.

Her eyes burned as realization struck him. It was Zahira's blood — rich, vibrant, and laced with the spark of a new life. Zahira, newly pregnant, had come to visit sajiya and Elyas without telling anyone. The rare essence of her blood mixed with the faint aura of life growing inside her, creating a magnetic force... an irresistible beacon for the lurking spirit.

When Zahira entered the room, she froze at the sight of Sajiya — broken, fragile, a ghost of herself. Without a second thought, Zahira rushed forward, wrapping her arms around her.

"Everything's going to be fine," she whispered firmly, stroking Sajiya's trembling back. "Aryan is talking to one of the best doctors. We will do everything we can to save Elyas."

Sajiya clung to her, sobbing harder. Between choking gasps, she managed to whisper, "I'm so sorry... I'm causing so much trouble for everyone... and yet you're still here for me."

Zahira gently pulled back and looked into her swollen, bloodshot eyes. "Family isn't a burden, Sajiya," she said with a soft smile. "It's a promise."

Neither of them noticed the shadow looming at the doorway, its hunger deepening. But the spirit's focus had shifted — it no longer sought only grief or despair. It hungered for Zahira's blood, for the life she carried.

After a while, Zahira decided it was time to leave. She carefully guided Sajiya to the car. Outside, the rain had turned into a torrential storm, lashing against the windows and darkening the roads. The main highways were flooded; the only open route was a narrow, twisted path through the forest that bordered the city.

Zahira hesitated for only a moment before steering the car into the woods.

The trees closed in around them like silent sentinels, their skeletal branches clawing at the sky. The headlights barely pierced the thick fog that clung to the ground like a living thing. There were no sounds of animals, no whispers of night birds — only the endless, suffocating silence.

Suddenly, the car shuddered violently and came to a dead halt.

Zahira cursed under her breath and tried restarting the engine. Once, twice, three times. Nothing. The car refused to budge. Panic bubbled in her chest, but she forced herself to stay calm. She glanced at Sajiya, who had already slipped into a deep, sedated sleep from the strong medications she'd taken at the hospital.

Taking a deep breath, Zahira stepped out into the storm.

The cold rain immediately drenched her to the bone, chilling her skin. She opened the hood and fumbled in the darkness, hands shaking. Every shadow seemed alive, every gust of wind whispered threats in her ears.

And then she felt it — eyes on her.

She whirled around — but the forest was empty.

Her phone trembled in her pocket. Grabbing it, she unlocked it to call Aryan — but before she could dial, a distorted reflection appeared on the shattered surface of the windshield — a face made of smoke and darkness, moving toward her.

Her blood turned to ice.

Without thinking, she slammed the hood shut and bolted back into the car, locking every door behind her. Her hands fumbled over the ignition again, desperate to escape. But it was too late.

A low, unearthly growl rumbled through the car as the spirit's power surged. One by one, the windows began to crack, spiderweb lines spreading like veins across the glass. The air inside thickened, turned suffocating.

And then — a hand of pure shadow slammed against the windshield.

Zahira gasped in horror. Her vision blurred. A pounding headache exploded behind her eyes as if the very air was trying to crush her. She could barely see Sajiya asleep behind her.

When the spirit reached toward her, it hissed in pain — something unseen burning it.

Zahira's body, her unborn child's presence, something sacred within her was protecting her. A divine shield, woven by the fragile threads of new life.

With an agonizing screech, the spirit recoiled and vanished into the storm.

And then — silence.

---

Hours later, when Sajiya finally stirred awake, she rubbed her eyes in confusion.

"Why are we here? Weren't we going home?" she asked groggily.

Zahira, struggling to steady her breathing, forced a small smile. "There was an accident last night... I think I passed out. But we're okay now."

Sajiya, still drowsy, didn't question further.

Zahira glanced at the shattered windows, the destroyed dashboard. Her phone was dead, crushed in the chaos. Every fiber of her body screamed to drive — to get out of that cursed place.

Summoning her last ounce of strength, Zahira turned the ignition again.

This time, by some miracle, the car roared to life.

Through endless rain and broken roads, Zahira drove them home, heart thundering with the memory of the spirit's touch.

But when they finally reached the safety of their house, zahira thinks that we left the spirit behind and we are fr from danger but

The spirit had followed them home.

And they were far from safe.

To be continued...