The Things We Bury
The car had a subtle scent of lavender and forgotten memories.
Ava was in the passenger seat, soaked, shivering ever so slightly, arms around herself. Priya's fingers clutched the steering wheel more tightly than needed, knuckles white against the leather.
Neither of them said a word for the first ten minutes.
Rain drummed gently on the windshield, a gentle accompaniment to their silence. Priya caught Ava's glance once—once only—but when their eyes touched, Ava shifted her gaze away.
She hadn't cried. Not from the dash through the city. Not when she had slumped against her mother outside the school gate. Not even when Priya, panting and panicked, had swept her into the car as if she was afraid Ava would vanish once more.
But here, with the security of the car around her, the fright started to dissolve.
"You're wet," Priya said finally, reaching in the back of the car and blindly feeling the extra shawl she always carried there. "Take this."
Ava didn't say a word and covered herself with it. It was scented with her mother's perfume.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked after a moment.
"Home."
Ava tautened. "I don't—
"You need sleep. You're trembling. Whatever's happening, we'll talk about it in the morning."
Ava turned her face toward the window, but nodded. Maybe sleep would help. Or maybe it would only bring more questions.
As the buildings blurred past, her eyes flickered shut for a second—and her thoughts betrayed her.
Rohit.
Where had he gone?
She'd said she needed space, and he'd disappeared like smoke. But something within her kept telling her that it wasn't distance.
It was something. Something weightier.
And then… there was Anish.
The memory hit her without warning.
.....
Both women came inside the room. The house was very quiet. As if it want them to look inside them, look at the coming storm.
"Mom, I want to ask you something." "Not now, Ava." Priya said, dismissing her.
Ava was about to said something when-
KNOCK, KNOCK.
Both women freezes. "Let me go and check." said Priya.
"Who is there?"
"Mom open the door." came an hushed voice.
"Anish..?" She quickly opened the door. Ava also came forward.
"Brother..? Where were you?"
"Out." He came inside and said nothing more.
Ava squinted her eyes at his behavior. It is so unusual of him.
"I think you should rest." said Priya, giving Anish a sign.
" Come to my room." He nodded and both move toward her room.
"Ava you should also take some rest." On which Ava just nodded and moved towards her room.
......
The moonlight streamed in upon the blinds, laying long pale lines on the floor. Ava perched on the end of the bed, her fingers gripping the edge of the mattress as if holding on to something, gazing out at the vacant apartment.
Priya had gone to bring some things back. And Anish.... God knows where. Something was wrong with the way Priya had dismissed those questions about the past. It wasn't like her to be so secretive.
The entire conversation had been too scripted, like she was keeping something from him.
Ava's head was going over her mom's words, the muted whispers of a discussion she'd overheard years ago. She was listening in on Priya and Anish, piecing together the snippets of their muted tones.
But the one thing she hadn't caught then was the urgency in Priya's voice. "It's not safe for them," she had said. "They're better off not knowing."
Ava's heart pounded now, her breathing accelerating as she understood what her mother had said. The past was not something they could outrun. Not anymore.
Suddenly, a loud knock at the door broke her concentration. Ava leapt, her heart racing in a split second. She was not expecting anyone, and the knock had been accompanied by a sort of urgency that unsettled her. She got up slowly, attempting to compose herself, and moved towards the door.
Looking through the peephole, she saw nobody.
Dazed, Ava pushed open the door slowly, her hand holding on to the doorknob like a lifeline. The hall outside was black, still, except for the wavering beam of a bulb far away. She stepped into the empty hallway.
As she was about to shut the door, a slip of paper flew under her feet.
A note.
Her hands shook as she knelt to retrieve it, spreading it out carefully. The handwriting was crisp, forceful almost—someone rushing, a message that did not wait.
"𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂."
Ava's blood turned icy. She looked around, but the corridor was still ominously silent. No movement, no figure in the corner. The message on the note seemed like a warning sign, an unavoidable reality that hung heavy on her heart.
Before she was able to make sense of it, her phone vibrated in her pocket, the sudden, harsh motion dragging her back into reality. Ava's hand reached for her phone, already anticipating what could be on the other line.
The screen lit up: Unknown Caller.
She paused. Something in the mysterious caller made a chill run down her spine. But before she had time to choose whether or not to pick up, the phone had fallen silent, leaving only silence in its aftermath.
Ava's heart raced, the creeping fear still gripping at her very marrow. She turned and went back inside, quietly shutting the door behind her.
Her mother had always kept their history secret—too secret. It was like Priya was trying to shield them, but from what? Ava felt something was off, something dark and evil. But what?
The question ate away at her, ripping through her mind, demanding answers. Was this the reason Rohit had vanished? Was it related to whatever was plaguing her family?
Suddenly, a gentle knock on the door caused her to stiffen.
This time, she didn't pause. She opened the door with a swipe, not peeking through the peephole.
Ava didn't know what she had anticipated, but facing her wasn't what she'd envisioned.
Anish.
He stood before her, sweating profusely, his eyes wide with alarm. His face was ashen, his face etched between confusion and fear.
"Ava," he panted. "We have to talk. Now."
Ava's thoughts ran in circles. "Anish, what's it? What has happened?"
"Just—, let me in. I can't explain it out here."
She moved to the side without thinking and let her brother in. There had always been tension between them, ever since he had been away for a little while, but now there was something different about it. It was like something had changed in the air, like the walls were coming in on them.
"Anish, what's happening?" Ava asked as soon as the door closed on him.
His hands were shaking as he settled into the couch, looking back over his shoulder as if expecting to see someone there. "I don't know how to tell you, but I believe someone's been watching us. Watching you."
Ava's heart missed a beat. "What do you mean, 'watching' us?
Anish gazed up at her, his eyes black and etched with concern. "I saw them. I didn't want to believe it, but I couldn't deny it any longer. Last night—someone was following me. They were in the alley outside, and they were in the shadows. I think they're after us."
Ava's stomach plunged. "Who? Who are they?"
"Don't know," Anish admitted. "But I overheard something. There's something they do know—something I think they need from us."
Ava edged in closer to him, her mind whirling. "What did they say?"
"They said they would get us back. That we couldn't get away from it.
Ava's heart racing as Anish's words penetrated. Her muscles stiffened, her gaze flicking towards the window as if hoping to see someone outside.
This was more than she had imagined. The individuals who had been observing them were moving in, and whatever they knew, it wasn't her family's history.
It was something much uglier, and she was close to finding out.
And then, as if to validate her worst imaginings, the lights dimmed. A shadow crossed the window, transient but unmistakable.
Ava was locked in place, her blood freezing in her veins. Someone was outside.
The doorbell rang.
And for an instant, the world halted.
.....
Ava and Anish froze.
Neither moved. Neither breathed.
The doorbell echoed again—louder this time, longer, like whoever was on the other side knew they were home and was growing impatient.
Ava's legs felt rooted to the ground, her mind struggling to decide—Should we answer? Should we hide? Should we run?
Anish slowly rose, his eyes locked on the door, his entire frame taut with tension. "Don't open it," he whispered.
Ava nodded, already stepping back. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat louder than the last.
Then silence.
No more knocking. No more doorbell.
Just the thick, awful quiet.
Anish moved slowly towards the window, his fingers barely opening the curtain. Outside, the hallway was vacant. But Ava saw the way his hand trembled.
There was a person," he assured her. "They were just standing there, staring at the door. Not doing anything. Not knocking initially. Just.waiting."
Ava shivered. "Do you think it's the same individual who stalked you?"
"I have no idea," he admitted. "But I don't think this is an accident."
Ava headed towards the kitchen and picked up a small kitchen knife, holding it tightly, her knuckles white. "We can't stay here.
Anish nodded. "Let's go to Priya's."
"She left earlier. I think she went back to check on something."
"Then we meet her there," he said. "It's safer than staying here, waiting for whoever this is to make their next move."
Ava took one last look around the apartment. The darkness stretched further now, as if it was crawling up the walls. She jammed the note—the one with They're coming for you—into her pocket and, phone in hand, they slipped out into the hallway together.
Each move was tentative, each look back loaded with fear. The lift looked like a trap, so they used the stairs—twelve floors down. The building seemed like a mausoleum, the sort of quiet that presses against your ears and cinches around your throat.
Anish's bicycle was at the parking lot in the far corner.
"We'll ride together," he said, hopping on. Ava slid behind him, and the engine roared to life.
They sped through the city, streetlights flashing like pulses. The wind burned Ava's eyes, but she welcomed the sting—it meant she was still here, still alive.
By the time they reached Priya's safe house, dawn had started bleeding into the sky.
The house was hidden behind a stand of overgrown trees at the city's edge, silent, forgotten. Anish parked the bike, and they made their way up to the door together.
Ava knocked twice.
No one answered.
Anish tried the door. Unlocked.
They shared a glance.
"Stay behind me," he whispered.
The house groaned as they entered. Dust hung in the air, and an old wooden clock ticked from the wall of the living room.
"Mom?" Ava whispered.
No one answered.
They searched each room. No Priya.
But then Ava stopped. Her eyes had landed on something—just barely—on the dinner table.
A photo.
Worn, faded. But the faces were unmistakable.
Her. Anish. Priya.
And her sister.
The sister they hadn't mentioned in years.
The sister who, she'd last been told, had disappeared.
Ava's breath held. She picked up the picture slowly, slowly. Her sister's face leered back at her—young, wide-eyed, full of the sort of innocence Ava had barely remembered.
"She was here?" Ava breathed.
Anish crept forward. "No. That picture—it wasn't here when mom and I visited last time."
"Then who brought it?" Ava asked.
Before Anish could speak, a low creaking from the far end of the house spun them around.
Footsteps.
Slow. Heavy. Deliberate.
Ava gripped the knife closer and stepped back behind Anish as he edged towards the hallway.
"Who's there?" he shouted.
Nothing.
The footsteps ceased.
Quiet.
Then the front door shut behind them with a BOOMING BANG.
Ava spun around—but no one was there.
"Check the back," Anish breathed, more wide-eyed than ever before.
They glided like phantoms themselves, looking into every corner, every doorway.
But the house was vacant.
Until Ava's phone buzzed.
She pulled it out of her pocket. Another Unknown Number.
This time, there was a message.
"You left her behind. Did you forget already?"
Her blood turned cold.
She read it again. You left her behind.
Her gaze darted to the photo in her hand. Her sister's face glared back.
"What is this?" she whispered. "Is someone trying to… blame me?"
Anish peered over her shoulder, reading the message. "Someone knows more than they should."
No," Ava whispered. "This isn't someone playing games. They want us to remember her. They want us to feel guilty."
Anish massaged his temples. "You think… she's alive?"
Ava said nothing.
She couldn't.
Because low in her chest, something broke.
A memory—part-hidden—wavered to the surface.
A girl's scream.
A locked door.
A promise she'd broken.
"Anish," she whispered. "What if she's not dead?"
"What?"
"What if she's been here with us the whole time, waiting for us?
Before he could answer, the lights began to flicker.
The air grew cold.
And the corridor behind them filled with the quiet sound of breathing.
Not theirs.
Someone else's.
Ava turned slowly.
The shadows at the far end of the hall seemed to thicken.
And then—
A step.
Soft. Measured.
And out of the shadows, a figure appeared.
But only the shape.
No face. No voice.
Just that suffocating sense.
As if all the light had been drawn out of the room.
Anish moved forward, attempting to protect Ava, but the figure didn't budge.
Instead, something fell from its hand.
A locket.
Old. Rusted.
Familiar.
Ava moved forward, bending down to retrieve it.
She opened it—and stiffened.
Inside was a small photograph.
Of her and her sister.
Younger. Smiling.
This locket had been lost years before.
Her fingers shook around it.
And when she glanced up—
The figure vanished.
...........
𝑬𝑵𝑱𝑶𝒀𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝒀? 𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑫𝑳𝒀 𝑫𝑶 𝑺𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮. 𝑰𝑻 𝑯𝑬𝑳𝑷𝑺 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝒀 𝑻𝑶 𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑾...!
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨.