Character info -

Zara is a 27-year-old girl whose father was killed 5 years ago. Since then her mom went missing. 

Dael is also 27 years old. He is married to Zara. 

Zara and Dael are police officers. 

Zobia is an 18-year-old girl studying architecture. Her parents died when she was around eight months old. Her grandparents raised her. 

Sarim is 23 years old.  He is now an intern doctor. But he loves painting more than anything. He was forced by his father to be a doctor. 

He lives in his grandparent's house as his parents live in a foreign country since he was 15 years old. 

Chapter starts - 

It was around 2 of the night and Zara was being chased by a group of black-suited men. She was running through the streets and she stopped by a store and hid in the alley. 

" Bring me a dagger. I have to ship out some souls to hell, I believe," she said on the Bluetooth while she was gasping for breath. 

"Ok, location? " said the voice from the Bluetooth. 

"Sent you!" she said. 

" Ula! I will be there in a minute." the voice said with a spark of excitement.

Soon after the call, Zara turned her head sharply as the whizzing gunfire whipped past her ears; that was a close one. 

"Enough is enough!". She came out of her hiding place cracking her knuckles in quite an agitation. 

But to her dismay, she noticed a knife flying towards her. Thanks to her sharp reflex, she squatted down avoiding the knife. But the gang was too snappy and in no period a man kicked her, making her fall to the ground. In a few seconds, she got kicked in her stomach. She was about to fall unconscious, and all she could hear was the laughing noise of the men encircling her. 

Yet Zara didn't give up, she is a fighter after all. She got hold of the leg that was about to kick her and gathered up all her strength to make the guy fall and rupture his skull. She stood up even though she was unsteady, just to note blood coming from her mouth. A muscled man named Shaheer was steadily walking around her. He had a gun in one hand and he was smoking with the other. 

" You do have some guts," he said with a savage smile. 

"No darling, you kicked in her gut," a voice said from Zara's behind. It was Dael. 

He pointed the gun toward Shaheer and said " Drop your arms, you are surrounded by the police." 

And indeed they were, police sirens were heard around the streets, and all the black-suited men were arrested in no time. 

" Where's my Dagg.." Zara was trying to ask Dael and fell unconscious. 

Zara and Dael both work in the police and are married for three years. 

Zara woke up in her bed. She felt an intense pain in her waist. She reached the living room, just to find Dael going through the pictures of the murder scene and some records. 

"How do you feel now? And ya why were you there searching for them when you already had an intense injury in your stomach? " he said in an angry yet caring voice. 

"Hmm. Did Shaheer speak anything?" she asked. 

" No, he is in the interrogation room for about five hours, and we deliberately didn't question him," he said. 

" To make him feel irritated and impotent?" she said. 

"Yea, " he said. 

"Did Zoobi agree to the marriage with Sarim? " she asked. 

"Strangely, Zobia and Sarim are unaware of it," he claimed. 

"Ohh! I am totally against this marriage. Zoobi is just 18." she argued. 

"I know. Grandpa wanted to see Zobia get married before he dies. Poor Zobia doesn't even know that he has cancer and can only survive a few days, " he said in a very sad tone. 

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"Anyways, this marriage is next to impossible, " he added further. 

"Hmm. I won't be there for the interrogation." she pleaded. 

"That's fine. I will handle it," he assured. 

In the interrogation room - 

"Tell me, who is he?" Dael asked in a loud voice. 

"He? " Shaheer spoke out in astonishment. 

"What? "

"Do you believe our leader is a man?" he said with a savage smile. 

"So it seems he was she all the time, who is she then?" Dael asked. 

And Shaheer didn't utter a single word.

The interrogation room was sealed with silence. 

"I said who is she? "

"Razia," he said in a calm voice yet guilty. 

*Ring* *Ring* 

Dael's phone rang. 

And he went out of the room to answer it. 

"What? Where are you? Repeat once," he said on the phone in a strange chaos. 

"Outside the police station" answered the girl on call. 

"Why are you here? Can't you stop interrupting my work? I will come out and you wait there only. Don't move." 

"Okay Sir! " said the girl. 

Dael reached out of the police station in quiet irritation. And before he could speak anything the girl said with a huge amount of excitement - 

" Do you know what's today???!!!!". 

The girl was none other than Zobia. 

"What? What is today? " Dael asked. 

" It's your birthday, you fool!!" Zobia said and giggled. 

"My birthday? But, today is 15 March. "

"Yes, that's what I am saying! It's 15th March already." 

" 15, 15, 15 March, 15 March.. .. ummm. Oh, dear!! It's Zara's Bday today. How come I forgot? It's not gonna be good." 

"I know. I know. I know that you would have forgotten just like always. So I have planned a party this evening. At least make sure not to forget it." 

"Hmm. Now I feel guilty just like the criminals I catch. " Dael said 

"Hehe! Bring a good gift you fool. 

Bye-bye. I have to arrange a lot of things." she said and giggled and ran to catch the bus. 

Meanwhile, when Dael returned, one of the officers spoke -

"On the 18th of March, we have to submit Shaheer to the court for trials. If we don't have enough evidence, he would be released." 

"Hmm. Did you find any information about Razia? " asked Dael. 

"No sir. We are still trying. "

Meanwhile, in the graveyard- 

Zara is paying respects to her father. 

"It's been five years now. I am sorry, " she said while she was sobbing. 

"I couldn't locate ma yet" she added with an intense pain. 

Meanwhile, the scene shifts to a beautiful bungalow built on the bank of the river. This is where Zobia and Sarim live along with their grandpa. 

Grandpa is sitting in his room going through an album. He stops at a photo of a couple holding a baby who looks less than a year. 

" Your daughter has grown up into a beautiful and cheerful girl," he says to the picture. 

Zobia's parents died when she was just eight months old. She was raised by her lovely and dear grandparents. To her, they are the world. 

Zobia was sitting on a rock on the bank of the river, planning the party. 

"Umm, I need to talk to Sarim about who to invite." she talks to herself. 

She ran to the backyard, into the house, and ran upstairs. She opens the door of Sarim's room just to see him painting on his canvas. 

For artists, their paintbrush is no less than a magic wand. They simply wiggle the brush on a canvas, and boom there are different art forms ready to mesmerize all of us. Well, it is not that simple, as it takes lots of patience, skills, and hard work to turn a paintbrush into a magic wand.

Zobia loves to see him paint. She always gets mesmerized by his paintings and his imagination skills. 

"You look handsome with the paintbrush in your hand," she compliments. 

"You know, it was developed by Meng Tian of China in 300 B.C., and it is said that the brush was invented for writing purposes. He developed the first ink brush which could be used for calligraphy and with time, the paintbrush traveled the world and was transformed." he blabbers. 

"So what?" she said with an annoyance in her voice. 

"So, thanks to Meng Tian that he helped me get a compliment from you," he speaks as he giggles and paints. 

"Now, shut your rubbish mouth and listen to me, "she orders. 

"You are held responsible for inviting the guests, ordering the tables and chairs for the evening, and helping me decorate the backyard," she says.

"From when am I responsible for all these!?.. I am not doing. You do it yourself." he argues. 

"Shut your mouth. I said it once. Now stop painting and get to work."

"For your information, I am painting for Zara. "

"Then finish it fast and do all the things I said before." 

"No, I won't!! " he argues again. 

But Zobia has left the room already. 

Zobia heads to the kitchen to find Uncle Kareem- the chef of the house. She explains the menu and she bakes a three-tiered cake. 

Time passed by and the evening arrived. 

Zobia was in the backyard adjusting the chairs. 

" tables check 

Chairs check 

Balloons check 

Decoration Perfect 

Lightings done 

Cake Delicious 

Food check 

People are arriving 

Grandpa check 

Dael will bring Zara, hopefully 

Umm, Where's Sarim? Sarim is nowhere around. 

So Sarim unchecked" 

"SAARIMMM!!" she screams his name from the backyard facing his balcony. 

From Sarim's balcony, we can view the backyard and also the river. 

As she shouts, she just realizes she has people around her who are now staring at her and gossiping about her.

A woman whispers to her companion, "Oh my goodness, how in the world is she shouting like that?". 

Her companion whispers back, " Indeed! She is not a kid anymore.". 

Some other person whispers, "How can a girl shout a boy's name? That too in the presence of so many people? Doesn't she have any dignity? ".

Meanwhile, Sarim runs onto his balcony and says, "Shhh, I'm coming, I'm coming." silently as if whispering, with a hint of anger. 

He shuts the door of his room and goes to the backyard. Grandpa arrives in the backyard too. 

Zobia hears the screeching of a car's tires so she asks Sarim to go check if Zara and Dael have arrived or not. 

While Sarim was leaving the backyard he notices a shadow running in the woods where no one else was there. However, he ignores it thinking that it might be some guest who is fooling around. 

When he turned back to leave the backyard his eye catches the sight of the light coming out of his room's window, which seemed wrong as he remembers closing the lights before leaving the room. 

So he runs towards his room and slowly approaches the opening of the door of his room which was still filled with light. 

He was walking so slowly and with no noise as if he was sneaking into his room. 

He knew that everybody was in the backyard and the house was empty. 

So he assumes that there's a thief whom he needs to apprehend. 

When he comes in front of the door he sees.....