silent
The forest was still.
Except for one sound.
Breathing.
Shallow. Shaky. Uneven.
Ravi was on the ground, knees dug into the cold, damp soil. His hands trembled uncontrollably at his sides, fingers twitching like they were trying to crawl away from his body. His mouth hung open, locked in a silent scream. His eyes—wide, unblinking—were glued to the black wall of bushes where the lion had vanished with Harley.
He couldn't move.
Not even an inch.
His chest heaved with every breath, and his body shook as if the earth beneath him were vibrating. The scream he wanted to release was stuck in his throat. No tears came—only raw, hollow terror.
From somewhere far off in the trees, the echo of cracking bones and wet tearing filled the silence.
Then… silence again.
---
Meanwhile, Jai and Rita ran through the narrow forest trail, leaves slapping their faces, twigs snapping underfoot. Rita panted behind him, stumbling as the terrain grew uneven.
"Jai! Did you hear that?! That scream—was that Harley?!"
Jai didn't answer immediately.
His eyes narrowed, ears tuned to every sound. His gut twisted with unease, the memory of his dream roaring back like a slap across the face. The lion. The blood. The warning.
"I heard it," Jai said finally, voice tight. "Something's wrong. We're going back."
They turned sharply and sprinted toward the distant orange glow of the tent lights, darting through the trees. Each step they took felt longer than the last, their breath coming in heavy gasps as they pushed through vines and underbrush.
The forest seemed darker now.
The stars had vanished behind clouds. The moon was hazy. Even the sounds of nature had faded—no crickets, no birds. Just the wind... and the lingering scent of smoke from the fire earlier.
As they approached the camp, the scene came into view like a painting smeared in confusion.
Ravi was kneeling near the fire pit, still glowing faintly. His back was to them. His body stiff, unmoving.
"Ravi!" Jai called.
No response.
"Where's Harley?" Rita asked, eyes scanning the camp. "Where is he?!"
The tent flap lay open. The inside was empty.
Swathi's bag had fallen over. No one else was around.
Jai stepped forward quickly and knelt beside Ravi.
He placed a hand gently on Ravi's shoulder. The moment he touched him, Ravi's body jerked slightly—as though electrocuted.
His face was pale. His eyes still locked on the same black patch of forest ahead.
"Ravi…" Jai whispered. "Where is he? What happened?"
Ravi didn't move. His lips parted just slightly, but no sound came out.
Then Jai followed Ravi's gaze.
The bushes at the edge of camp were thick, twisted with vines and branches. Something about that darkness felt unnatural, like it wasn't just night hiding behind it—but something else. Something alive.
Jai stood slowly, Rita close behind.
Rita handed him the flashlight she carried from the tent. "Take this."
He nodded.
Silence pressed on them like a weight.
Carefully, Jai stepped forward—toward the shadows, toward the place Ravi couldn't stop staring at. With each step, the sounds from earlier played back in his mind: Harley's scream, the rush of flames, Ravi shouting for help.
The flashlight beam wavered as Jai's hands shook. Leaves brushed his face. Branches clawed at his shirt.
He pushed deeper into the bushes.
The beam hit something on the ground.
Blood.
A trail of it.
Smeared, soaked into the soil, dark and thick. Small bits of torn cloth, a scrap of scorched shirt, and what looked like a torn shoe lay nearby.
Rita, a few steps behind him, gasped. "Is that—?"
Jai didn't answer. He moved the flashlight again.
Farther down the path of blood, something glistened under the light.
Meat. Torn, raw, and red.
But not whole.
Just pieces.
Flaps of burned, shredded skin and muscle, scattered in streaks as if someone—or something—had dragged it away in a hurry.
Jai's stomach turned.
The flashlight's beam moved forward, further still. And then…
He froze.
The light caught something else.
Not skin. Not clothing.
Bones.
Clean, white bones—ribs cracked wide, a partial spine visible, dragged crooked across the leaves. One arm remained, twisted unnaturally, covered only in the remains of a burned sleeve.
Rita covered her mouth, gasping behind him.
And then they both heard it—
A sound that didn't belong to wind or animals.
Crunch.
Rip.
Chew.
The sound of something eating.
Jai stepped forward, slowly, his breathing shallow. The flashlight trembled in his grip.
He moved the light toward the source of the noise—just ahead, behind a cluster of trees.
As the beam pushed through the branches, it revealed a figure—massive, low to the ground, with a shaggy, golden mane and bloodied muzzle.
The lion.
It sat with its back turned, crouched over something… what remained of Harley.
Jai's breath caught in his chest.
The lion's body moved rhythmically—head jerking, teeth pulling flesh, bones snapping under pressure.
Smoke from the earlier fire clung to the air, mixing with the stench of blood and burned skin. A burnt smell still lingered from Harley's fire injuries—and now it blended with death.
Jai froze.
He couldn't scream. He couldn't speak.
His heart pounded violently in his chest, screaming for him to run. But his legs wouldn't move.
The lion lifted its head slowly.
Bits of red dripped from its chin.
Its yellow eyes blinked… and then turned toward the flashlight.
Directly into Jai's face.
Time stopped.
The lion stared, chewing its last bite. Its eyes narrowed, its lips curled faintly—not quite a growl, but a warning.
Rita took a step back, trembling. "Jai…"
Jai didn't move.
The lion rose.
Muscles shifted beneath its hide. It took a single slow step toward them. Its huge paw landed in the blood-soaked grass, cracking a branch beneath.
Jai's breathing quickened.
The lion exhaled through its nose, low and sharp.
Then—it turned.
Without another look, it stepped over Harley's remains and walked away, vanishing back into the thick forest without a sound.
Jai finally exhaled—his whole body trembling.
He turned to Rita, who was crying quietly, hands to her face. "Go back to the tent," he said, voice hoarse.
"What… what did it do to him…?"
Jai didn't answer.
He turned off the flashlight.
The forest was dark again.
---
Back at the camp, Swathi had returned, frantic and crying, her phone still showing no signal. Ravi remained on the ground, unmoving, still lost in that moment. His lips quivered, his face pale as ash.
When Jai and Rita stepped out from the trees, their clothes stained, their eyes empty, no words were needed.
Swathi looked at them, waiting for a denial.
But none came.
"He's gone," Jai said quietly.
Swathi collapsed to her knees, choking on sobs.
They sat in silence, four of them now.
A silence broken only by the forest whispering around them.
A silence too heavy for words.
The trip had just begun. And already… death had claimed its first.
And far in the forest, the lion's growl echoed once more—distant, but not gone.