Anaya and Arvin ran without thinking, their breath ragged, their feet stumbling over uneven ground. Neither of them knew where they were headed; they only knew they had to get away.
"Don't look back," Arvin panted, pulling Anaya by the wrist.
But she did. For a split second she risked a glance over her shoulder.
No one was there. The empty street followed them like a shadow, the silence heavy in her chest.
When they turned back forward, headlights blazed into their eyes. A car screeched to a stop, its horn blaring. Both froze, hearts thundering, before scrambling aside just in time. Their feet carried them blindly down a side road, into the shadow of an old building covered in scaffolding and warning signs.
"This way," Arvin whispered, dragging Anaya inside. The air smelled of dust and rust. It was half-finished, silent, abandoned—perfect to hide.
Or so they thought.
From the dim interior, a voice greeted them. Low, mocking, all too familiar.
"Well, well. Look who walked into my den."
A figure stepped out of the shadows. He looked exactly like Bhagya—but the smile was wrong. Too sharp, too knowing. The man from the mirror.
Anaya froze, clutching Arvin's arm.
"Did you really think an abandoned building would save you?" the figure asked, spreading his arms in a mock welcome. "This is what happens when you watch too many movies. Reconstruction signs, loose walls, a perfect death flag—and you still walked right in." He chuckled. "Stupidity is a talent of its own."
Arvin felt his stomach twist. Anaya, voice trembling, whispered back:
"Then what about you? You also came here."
The figure stopped. Then laughed. Not the laughter of joy, but of cruelty.
"I used to think Bhagya had lost his sanity," he said slowly, his gaze settling on her. "But no… he was just a fool. A fool to save someone like you." His smile thinned. "And maybe I'm the bigger fool—for letting your words provoke me."
He reached to the side and picked up a hammer lying among the rubble. The metallic scrape echoed through the hollow building.
Anaya's breath caught. Arvin's instincts screamed. He grabbed her hand.
"Run—!"
The figure's wrist flicked, and something small spun through the air. A second hammer, forgotten in the mess of tools, cut past Arvin's face, grazing just above his eye. He staggered with a cry, vision blurring.
"Go!" he shouted at Anaya. "Don't look back—just run!"
Her legs moved before her heart could stop her. Fear overruled hesitation. She vanished into the night.
Arvin turned, but the figure was already there. A punch landed squarely, sending him to the ground. The hammer's shadow loomed.
"I warned you," the voice hissed, heavy with mockery. "Remember what I said? If you spoke of that day, you and your precious ones would perish. And yet… you dared to tell her. Today you both vanish. And when the news spreads, the villain will not be me." His eyes gleamed. "It will be you, Arvin."
Trembling, Arvin clutched at his leg, voice breaking.
"Please… don't hurt her. Spare Anaya. I'll accept any beating—just let her go."
The figure's smile did not waver. His shadow fell over Arvin like the weight of a verdict.
Blows rained down. Arvin tried to shield himself, but desperation lent him one final burst of strength. With a cry, he shoved the figure back and staggered toward the exit. His breath hitched as he stumbled into the night—
And froze.
Above him, the sky was wrong. A pale second moon glowed faintly beside the first, silent and unnatural.
"What…?"
But there was no time. The figure recovered, raised the hammer, and swung with grin.
Arvin's eyes widened—
—and then Anaya appeared. She threw herself between them.
The sound made Arvin's blood run cold. His vision spun, darkness rising like a tide.
The last thing he remembered was Anaya collapsing, and the figure's smile.
"Wake up!"
A sting across his cheek snapped him back. Arvin opened his eyes to a world of stone walls and iron bars. His head spun.
A policeman loomed above him, his palm raised for another slap. Behind the bars, Arvin saw his parents, weeping.
"Wh… where am I?" he mumbled.
The officer's boot struck his ribs, forcing a cry.
"You dare ask? Why did you do it? She was your friend, wasn't she?"
Arvin shook his head violently. "I don't— I didn't—please!"
The officer's stick came down again.
"You struck her with a hammer. Witnesses, evidence, everything points to you!"
Arvin's heart sank. The words tore through him like knife piercing through meat.
"No… no, it wasn't me! It was Bhagya! You have to believe me!"
But the officers' eyes were hard, unrelenting. The cell closed in like a coffin.
"All proof says otherwise," the policeman spat. "The only villain here… is you."
Arvin's tears blurred his vision. His voice cracked as he cried into the silence, the weight of disbelief crushing him.
And outside, the second moon hung quietly in the sky.