C18 No One Touches Her

The man holding Aisha’s phone chuckled softly.

“Well,” he repeated, turning the screen toward the others, “looks like the hero finally woke up.”

The message glowed clearly.

Arjun:

Hold on. I'm coming.

One of the men laughed.

“Told you he would.”

The leader leaned back in his seat, satisfied.

“Good.”

He tossed the phone onto the metal floor beside Aisha’s feet.

“Now the real game begins.”

Aisha forced herself to stay calm.

Her heart was pounding so loudly she was sure they could hear it.

But outwardly she kept her face steady.

“Game?” she asked.

The man shrugged.

“Let’s call it motivation.”

The van slowed.

Then turned sharply off the road.

Gravel crunched loudly under the tires.

Aisha leaned slightly toward the window.

Dark trees.

Dense forest.

No houses.

No lights.

Great.

Across the mountains, Arjun’s jeep tore down the same road.

The tracker had stopped moving.

His eyes narrowed.

“They’ve stopped.”

He checked the coordinates again.

A narrow abandoned forestry route.

No nearby villages.

No active roads.

Perfect place for a trap.

Arjun didn’t slow down.

Instead he reached into the glove compartment.

A compact pistol slid into his hand.

He checked the magazine automatically.

Loaded.

His phone vibrated again.

A new notification.

Location signal… unstable.

He cursed under his breath.

“They found the phone.”

The jeep’s headlights cut through the dark forest road.

Branches whipped past on both sides.

The engine roared louder.

Faster.

Closer.

Inside the van the men had stopped talking.

The vehicle finally rolled to a halt.

One of them opened the rear door.

Cold night air rushed inside.

“Out,” the man ordered.

They pulled Aisha from the van.

Her legs nearly buckled after sitting tied for so long.

But she forced herself to stand.

The clearing around them was dark.

A single warehouse-like structure stood among the trees.

Old.

Abandoned.

Rust creeping along the metal walls.

The leader stepped in front of her.

“Comfortable?”

“No.”

He smiled.

“Good.”

Aisha glanced around carefully.

Four men now.

The two from the motorcycles.

The three from the van.

One more standing near the building.

Five total.

Arjun, please don’t do anything stupid, she thought.

The leader grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the building.

“We wait here.”

“For him?”

“Yes.”

“And if he doesn’t come?”

The man’s smile disappeared.

“He will.”

Because deep down, Aisha realized something terrifying.

He was right.

Several kilometers away…

Arjun killed the jeep’s headlights.

The vehicle rolled quietly to a stop behind a line of trees.

His eyes locked on the faint light of the abandoned building ahead.

Five heat signatures inside the clearing.

He counted them automatically.

Body positions.

Weapon outlines.

Movement patterns.

Then one smaller shape.

Hands tied.

Sitting near the wall.

Aisha.

The tension in his chest vanished instantly.

Replaced by something colder.

More dangerous.

Arjun stepped out of the jeep.

The forest was silent around him.

His voice barely louder than a whisper.

“No one touches her.”

And then he moved.

Fast.

Silent.

Deadly.