Chapter 3
The tiger did not leave.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
The family stood in the dark living room, barely breathing. Outside, the forest was quiet again, but the kind of quiet that felt wrong—like the world was holding its breath.
Arman watched through a small gap in the curtain. The tiger was still there, sitting in the yard, its eyes fixed on the house.
"It's waiting," he whispered.
Leena held Liam close. The little boy had stopped crying, but his body shook. Mira and Rian stood near the stairs, afraid to move.
The lights were still out. The only glow came from the moon and the faint outline of the tiger's eyes.
Then the tiger stood up.
Slowly.
Silently.
It walked toward the front door.
Arman's heart slammed in his chest.
The tiger pressed its head against the glass.
Not hard.
Just enough to test it.
The door did not break, but it creaked.
Mira covered her mouth.
The tiger stepped back and moved toward the side window. It lifted one paw and tapped the glass.
Tap.
The sound was soft… but terrifying.
"It's checking the house," Rian whispered. "Like it's… learning."
"Yes," Arman said quietly. "It's testing us."
The tiger moved again, this time to the back of the villa. They heard a low thud.
Something hit the wall.
Not strong enough to break it.
But strong enough to send fear through every bone in their bodies.
Leena's voice shook. "It's trying to find a way in."
Arman nodded. "And sooner or later… it will."
They moved into the kitchen, staying away from windows. Arman opened drawers, looking for anything useful.
A knife.
A flashlight with weak batteries.
A lighter.
Not enough.
"This place has nothing," Mira said, her voice breaking.
"There has to be a way out," Rian said. "We can't stay here forever."
Arman looked at them. "The car."
Leena's eyes widened. "The car?"
"If we can reach the car, we can drive away," he said. "Get to the road. Find help."
"But the tiger—" Mira started.
"I know," Arman said. "But the house won't hold forever."
The tiger let out a low sound outside.
Not a roar.
A warning.
They all froze.
Liam buried his face into Leena's shoulder.
Rian whispered, "How do we get there?"
Arman took a deep breath. "We wait for the right moment. When it moves away. When it's not watching the door."
They stood in silence, listening.
Outside, footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Then… quiet.
Arman looked through the curtain again.
The yard was empty.
"It's not in front anymore," he said.
Mira's heart raced. "What if it's hiding?"
"It is hiding," Arman replied. "That's what predators do."
Another long moment passed.
Then Rian said, "We won't get a better chance than this."
Arman nodded. "We go now. Straight to the car. No stopping."
Leena tightened her grip on Liam. "What if it comes back?"
"It will," Arman said honestly. "That's why we don't hesitate."
They unlocked the door.
The sound of the lock felt too loud.
Arman opened it slowly.
Cold night air rushed in.
Nothing moved.
"Now," he whispered.
They ran.
Across the yard.
Over wet grass.
Every step felt too loud.
The car stood near the gate, dark and silent.
They reached it.
Arman pulled the door open.
"Inside! Inside!"
They climbed in quickly. Leena sat in the back with Liam. Mira and Rian slammed their doors.
Arman turned the key.
The engine started.
For one beautiful second, hope filled his chest.
"We can make it," Mira whispered.
Arman drove forward.
Toward the gate.
The headlights lit up the tall metal bars ahead.
The gate did not move.
He tried again.
Nothing.
"What's wrong?" Leena asked.
"The gate… it's locked."
Rian leaned forward. "Just open it!"
Arman stopped the car and jumped out. He ran to the gate and grabbed it.
Cold.
Hard.
He shook it.
It did not move.
"Dad?" Mira called.
Arman pulled his flashlight and aimed it at the lock.
There was no lock.
No chain.
No handle.
The gate was solid metal.
And the frame around it…
…was metal too.
One single piece.
Smelted together.
Welded shut.
"No…" Arman whispered.
Rian stepped out of the car. "What do you mean there's no lock?"
Arman hit the gate with his fist.
It did not even shake.
"It's sealed," he said. "This gate was never meant to open."
Leena came closer, holding Liam. "That's impossible. There has to be a way out."
"There isn't," Arman said, his voice empty.
Mira felt cold all over. "So we're… trapped?"
The forest behind them rustled.
Very softly.
Arman turned slowly.
At the edge of the trees…
Two glowing eyes appeared.
The tiger.
It had been waiting.
"Get back in the car," Arman whispered.
But it was already too close.
The tiger stepped into the moonlight.
Calm.
Silent.
Powerful.
It did not rush.
It did not roar.
It simply walked in a slow circle around them.
Like it knew.
Like it had always known.
Rian's voice trembled. "It… it followed us."
"Yes," Arman said quietly. "It wanted us to leave the house."
The tiger passed behind the car, its eyes never leaving them.
Liam began to cry again.
Leena held him tighter. "Please… please…"
Mira could not move. Her legs felt frozen.
The tiger stopped.
Lowered its body.
Not attacking.
Not yet.
Just watching.
Waiting.
Like a hunter that knew its prey had nowhere left to run.
The gate stood behind them—cold, silent, sealed forever.
The house was far away.
The forest was alive with shadows.
And between all of it…
…the tiger.
Moving slowly.
Circling.
Closing in.