Chapter 5: Mystery of kidnapping

At the University

The next morning, Hadi and Kashaf went to the university themselves.

They requested access to the CCTV footage.

For hours they watched recordings.

Finally, they found Zahra.

She was seen walking up the stairs toward the laboratory floor.

Then…

Nothing.

The next camera covering that section was not working.

There was no footage of her coming back down.

No footage of her leaving the building.

No footage of her entering the bus for Islamabad.

She had simply disappeared.

A Disturbing Discovery

The university administration became involved.

Every classroom was checked.

Every corridor.

Every office.

Every storage area.

At last, a locked room was opened.

Inside, they found Zahra.

She was unconscious.

Her hands were tied.

A cloth had been fastened over her niqab and across her face.

She was weak and severely dehydrated.

The sight shook everyone.

Hadi immediately rushed to her.

“Zahra!”

But she did not respond.

Five Days Earlier

Back in the dark room, Zahra stood frozen.

The strange sound had stopped.

The silence felt heavier than before.

She turned to leave.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her.

Before she could react, someone grabbed her from behind.

A hand covered her mouth.

She tried to scream.

Tried to fight.

But the attack was unexpected.

The room spun around her.

Fear flooded her mind.

Then everything went black.

Back to the Present

When Zahra finally opened her eyes in the hospital, the first thing she saw was her mother's tear-filled face.

Mrs. Ayan immediately held her hand.

“Alhamdulillah... you're awake.”

Kashaf stood nearby, crying quietly.

Hadi looked exhausted, as though he hadn't slept for days.

For several moments, Zahra could not understand what had happened.

Then memories began returning.

The staircase.

The laboratory.

The mysterious voice.

The dark room.

And then…

Nothing.

She closed her eyes again.

For the first time in her life, she realized how quickly everything could change.

A single moment had separated her old life from the nightmare she had just lived through.

And deep inside her heart, one frightening question remained:

Who had taken her into that room—and why?