Chapter 4: Beginning of search
As she approached, the voice suddenly stopped.
The Mysterious Room
Zahra stepped inside.
Darkness surrounded her.
The room was long and narrow, lined with shelves covered in thick layers of dust.
It looked as though no one had cleaned the place in years.
She reached for a switch and pressed it.
Nothing happened.
The lights weren't working.
Only a faint glow from outside entered through the doorway, leaving most of the room hidden in shadow.
There were no windows.
The air felt stale.
The silence felt unnatural.
Slowly, she began examining the room.
Her eyes fell upon an old book lying near one of the shelves.
She moved toward it.
Then she remembered that her mobile phone was still in the classroom.
Without its flashlight, seeing clearly was difficult.
She hesitated.
Something about the room felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Yet before she could leave, she heard another sound from deeper inside the darkness.
A soft noise.
As if someone—or something—was moving.
And without realizing it, Zahra took another step forward…
Four Days Later
The doorbell rang.
Hadi opened the door.
Standing outside was Fajr.
She had come to return Zahra's phone.
Fajr: “Assalamu Alaikum. How are you, Aunty?”
Mrs. Ayan: “I'm fine, dear. Where is Zahra? She hasn't called even once in four days. When she comes home, I'm going to scold her.”
Then she called loudly:
“Zahra! Come here right now!”
Fajr looked confused.
Fajr: “Aunty... Zahra didn't go on the trip with us.”
Mrs. Ayan froze.
“What?”
Fajr held out Zahra's mobile phone.
“She left this in the university. I came to return it.”
The color drained from Mrs. Ayan's face.
A terrible feeling settled over the room.
Because if Zahra had never gone on the trip…
Then where had she been for the last four days?
The Truth Comes Out
Mrs. Ayan stared at Fajr in disbelief.
Mrs. Ayan: “What do you mean she didn't go with you? She left home saying she was going on the trip.”
Fajr: “No, Aunty. Before we left, she told me that Kashaf Apa was coming home and that she wanted to surprise her. She said she wasn't coming with us.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
Just then, Kashaf entered the drawing room.
One look at their faces told her something was terribly wrong.
After hearing everything, she immediately called Hadi and informed Ayan Ahmad.
Within minutes, the entire house was in a state of panic.
The Search Begins
Hadi searched nearby areas and contacted relatives and friends.
Kashaf called Zahra's classmates and university friends.
Ayan Ahmad tried to remain calm, but the fear in his eyes was impossible to hide.
No one knew where Zahra was.
No one had seen her after she entered the university.
Hours turned into a full day.
Still, there was no sign of her