65. DANGER

The car came to an abrupt stop on the deserted, brazen road, the engine sputtering before dying into an eerie silence. Taliya’s head pounded, her temples throbbing in sync with her erratic heartbeat. The silence around them wasn’t comforting, it was suffocating, pressing down on her like a heavy weight. Her icy cold fingers gripped Haroon’s hand on the steering wheel, her knuckles trurning white from fear.

“We need to get out of here.” Haroon’s voice was tight, his gut already warning him of the danger lurking in the quiet. His instincts, always sharp, were on high alert as his eyes darted around.

Taliya felt his tension, her breath shallow as she quickly gathered her things, her hands trembling. They climbed out of the car, leaving it behind on the empty road, abandoned in the middle of nowhere. The street, which had once seemed so ordinary, now felt like the stage of some looming catastrophe.

“I told you not to get so hot-headed,” Haroon snapped as they briskly walked down the road, their footsteps quick and uneven. His frustration boiled over, mixing with fear. “How could you be so reckless, Taliya? You could’ve gotten yourself killed back there.”

Taliya’s chest tightened at the accusation, her steps faltering. “I didn’t want to do anything dangerous,” she stammered, her voice shaking. “I don’t remember being reckless like this for years.”

“Oh really?” Haroon's eyes narrowed, his voice a low hiss. “Because it sure doesn’t look that way when just a few months ago you were plotting to kill Murad.”

Taliya flinched at his words, her heart skipping a beat. He wasn’t wrong, but the sting of it still hurt. Her breath caught in her throat as she fisted her hands, trying to steady her trembling body.

“Shut up, Haroon!” she spat, quickening her pace, her steps echoing sharply on the pavement.

But Haroon didn’t let up, his frustration spilling out unchecked. “Do you ever think about the consequences, Taliya? What’s going to happen next? You—”

Taliya didn’t hear the rest of his words. Her feet moved faster, a surge of adrenaline pushing her forward, away from him. She didn’t care where she was going, she just needed to be away—from his anger, from her own rising panic.

She made the rash decision to cross the street, her vision blurry with fear and frustration. It happened in a heartbeat.

Haroon shouted something, but his voice was distant, drowned out by the deafening roar of a heavy truck barreling down the road.

The truck was massive, a beast of steel and speed. Its headlights cut through the dark, blinding Taliya as it came hurtling towards her, too fast to stop, too close to avoid.

“Taliya!” Haroon screamed, his voice hoarse, the panic lacing through it like sharp claws. He bolted forward, his legs moving before his mind could process what was happening.

The truck hit her with terrifying force.

Time seemed to slow for a fraction of a second. Taliya’s body lifted off the ground as if weightless, her arms outstretched, her expression frozen in shock.

Then everything came crashing back into real-time.

The sound of the impact reverberated through the empty street, a sickening thud followed by the metallic screech of the truck trying to brake. Taliya’s body crumpled to the ground like a broken doll, rolling over before coming to a lifeless stop in the middle of the road.

Haroon stopped dead in his tracks, his breath caught in his throat, frozen in the horror of what had just unfolded in front of him. His heart pounded in his chest, loud enough to drown out the world around him.

“No…” he whispered, his voice cracking. “No, no, no.”

Haroon’s legs buckled as he stumbled forward, his hands shaking uncontrollably. He reached Taliya’s side, dropping to his knees beside her. Her body was still, too still. Blood pooled beneath her, staining the cold pavement a deep crimson.

“Taliya…” Haroon’s voice was nothing more than a broken whisper, his hands hovering over her, too afraid to touch her, too terrified of what he might find. His breath came out in sharp gasps, panic wrapping around his throat like a vice.

“Taliya, wake up. Please,” he choked, his fingers trembling as they brushed against her cheek. Her skin was cold, clammy, and his stomach lurched. “Please, don’t do this.”

He glanced down the road, the truck driver stumbling out of the vehicle in shock, his hands raised in apology, but Haroon couldn’t focus on him. Everything blurred around the edges—his mind, his vision.

All that mattered was Taliya.

“Taliya, come on!” Haroon’s voice cracked, desperate, as he leaned closer, cradling her in his arms. He pressed his ear to her chest, straining to hear even the faintest heartbeat.

Nothing.

“God, please,” Haroon whispered, his tears falling freely now. He shook her gently, his hands gripping her shoulders, refusing to believe what had just happened. “You can’t leave me like this. You can’t!”

But the silence was deafening, swallowing his pleas whole. His hands slipped from her, limp, as he crumbled beside her, defeated.

And in that moment, the weight of everything came crashing down. Haroon could only sit there, shattered, next to the woman he couldn’t save. Taliya’s phone buzzed making Haroon glare at the caller, but he knew he needed help and he really didn't have any choice.