Episode 7
That familiar scent told him—another presence like his own was nearby.
Molsak moved into the shadows as he saw figures approaching. The silhouette ahead had walked on, disappearing into the distance. The ones trailing behind stopped just beside Molsak, unaware of him.
"She came this way. Maybe she's hiding nearby?" one voice said.
"Maybe she moved further ahead?" another replied.
"We have to catch her, or Wadera Saeen will skin us alive," the first added, and with that, they all hurried forward.
From their conversation, Molsak understood they were searching for a girl or woman. His mind echoed with a cry he had heard months earlier: "By Allah, save me!" The memory flared in his mind.
Were these men, like the ones near the Makli graveyard, hunting a helpless girl? If so, he could imagine what might happen to her. He decided to follow from the side, wanting to see how it would unfold.
Far ahead, they spotted the silhouette again. They quickened their pace. Molsak moved alongside them from the left, tracking silently. When the girl realized they were gaining on her, she tried to move faster—but she was tiring.
Suddenly, she collapsed to the ground. The men cheered and sped up, knowing they had almost caught her.
Just as they were about to reach her, a fierce gust of sand blasted into their eyes. Panic struck, and everything changed.
---
Meanwhile...
Wasuri had made up her mind. No matter what, she would go back to the village that night and find a cure for her injury.
She avoided the snake charmers' settlement—she had always seen them as enemies. But deep down, she didn't know that those very charmers held knowledge that could heal her faster than anything else.
Walking slowly due to her wound, she entered the village. Just then, a stray dog spotted her and began barking.
Dogs can sense what humans can't. Even in human form, they know when a being is... not quite human.
Wasuri panicked. She stared into the dog's eyes and hissed like a serpent. The dog whimpered and ran away.
Still disguised in male clothing, she kept walking. Suddenly, a large black car came out of the grand mansion ahead of her. Its headlights blinded her. Reflexively, she covered her face and fled.
"Hey girl, stop!" someone shouted.
The car stopped, and four men got out to chase her. One remained inside, clearly their master. These were Wadera's men. He had ordered them to bring the mysterious beauty back.
She ran for her life, but her wound bled more with each step. Still, she pressed on, not wanting to reveal her true form. If anyone in the village learned her identity, she might never survive.
As she ran, she saw her pursuers closing in. Pain in her leg surged. She collapsed in the sand, unable to rise.
The silhouettes came closer.
But then—nothing.
Time passed. No sound. No touch.
Wasuri opened her eyes.
They were gone.
Panting, she slowly rose and limped toward her desert hideaway. She had been lucky tonight.
---
Back in the village…
Morning brought terror.
The lifeless bodies of Wadera's men had been found. Their faces were locked in expressions of horror, their skin blackened. The villagers were shaken.
Last night, Wadera had sent his men to fetch the mysterious woman. She had appeared like a mirage—glowing in the car's headlights—and vanished. They had chased her, and now they were dead.
What kind of creature had he tried to capture?
---
Elsewhere in the desert...
Molsak had followed the scent. The men had caught up to the girl—but just before they could grab her, someone—something—blasted sand in their faces.
In the chaos, they scattered blindly.
One fell. Then another. One by one, they were struck down. Molsak had made his move.
He had snapped their limbs, bitten their necks, hissed into the desert wind. Then... he noticed something strange.
The girl—the target—was gone.
He saw drag marks in the sand and followed them silently.
Finally, far off in the desert, he found her.
She was lying still, eyes glowing faintly. She noticed him.
He approached with caution.
"Who are you?" he asked softly.
"Wasuri," she replied hesitantly.
A smile crept across Molsak's lips—his first in centuries.
And then, for the first time, they embraced.
---
In the snake charmers' village...
An old snake charmer opened the door at midnight. A young man and woman stood there, claiming to be travelers. The girl was injured.
Strangely, both wore men's clothing.
They asked for help. The man stayed silent; the woman didn't speak at all.
The old charmer treated her wound and watched them leave.
But something about their eyes—those glowing eyes—reminded him of something.
He opened his snake basket. A black cobra rose, and he looked into its eyes.
And then he gasped.
He remembered.
---
To be continued...
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