The morning sun was just beginning to paint the sky.
Sana slowly opened her eyes, expecting to feel Kartik's warmth next to her.But the space was empty.
She blinked.Looked around the room.
Sana (half-asleep):"Probably went to the bathroom…"
She smiled faintly and waited.But ten minutes passed.Then fifteen.
Still no sign of Kartik.
6:15 AM – Panic Begins
Sana's smile faded.
She sat up, now nervous. She walked to the bathroom and knocked.
Silence.
She opened the door.
Empty.
The panic hit her like a wave of cold fear.
She rushed around the house barefoot, checking rooms, corners, balconies… calling his name again and again.
Sana (panicking, voice cracking):"Kartik? K-Kartik?!"
Then — she collapsed on the hallway floor, crying.
Sana (shaking, sobbing):"Where are you… please come back…"
6:30 AM – Ananya Wakes Up
Hearing the sobs, Ananya ran in and found Sana curled up, crying.
Ananya (alarmed):"Sana?! What happened?!"
Sana (barely audible):"Kartik's… he's not here… he didn't come back…"
Without wasting a second, Ananya sprinted to wake up Ayush.
Ananya (frantic):"Ayush, wake up!! Kartik is missing!"
6:35 AM – House-Wide Alarm
Ayush shot up and ran toward the bathroom.Empty.
He checked every corner of the house, calling out Kartik's name.
No response.
By now, everyone was awake — Sana's cries had alerted the entire house.
Lucky (nervous):"Did… did something take him at night?"
Suspicion grew like a virus.
Everyone's eyes landed on Suraj — the only newcomer in their group.
Shivam (serious):"He joined recently… we barely know him…"
But those who slept beside Suraj defended him instantly.
Niyati:"He was with us all night. I saw him sleeping."
Lucky:"Yeah. The guy snores like a diesel engine. No way he snuck out."
The suspicion didn't vanish… but logic held it back.
7:00 AM – Search Team Prepares
Ayush was already strapping his gear.
Ayush (to Shivam):"Get your machete. We're going out."
Sana (pleading):"I'm coming too!"
Ananya:"We can't sit and do nothing—"
Ayush (firm):"No. I need you here. If this is a trap… I won't risk you."
Just then — Suraj stepped forward.
Suraj (calm):"I can help find him."
Ayush turned, suspicious.
Ayush:"How exactly?"
Suraj (confidently):"I was trained in combat recon. I can read footprints, terrain trails, blood markers — I can reconstruct where he might've gone."
Shivam (angrily):"And why should we trust a spy?! You could lead us straight into an ambush!"
Ayush (coldly):"If he wanted us dead, he had last night."
He looked Suraj in the eye.
Ayush:"You're coming. But if anything feels off… I take your head first."
Suraj nodded.
The three — Ayush, Shivam, and Suraj — headed into the forest.
7:15 AM – Deep Forest Trail
The ground was wet. The air, tense.
Suraj crouched down near a cluster of broken leaves.
Suraj (analyzing):"Fresh footprints. Light weight. Kartik's size."
They walked further —And found something chilling:
A torn piece of Kartik's shirt on a branch.A trail of blood droplets.
Shivam (tense):"Was he… attacked?"
Suraj (focused):"No… his pattern's off. He was running. Voluntarily."
Ayush (confused):"He left on purpose?"
Suraj (nodding):"Yes. And judging by this trail… he wasn't alone for long."
FLASHBACK – NIGHT BEFORE (2:00 AM)
Kartik, sitting alone by the radio, unable to sleep.
Then — static.Then — a voice.
"This is Echo Unit 3. Survivors… move to Sector 12. Army is present. Extraction scheduled at 0500 hours."
Kartik's eyes widened.
He recorded the coordinates in his head.Then… made a decision.
Kartik (whispers):"I'll check it out alone. If it's a trap… no one else dies because of me."
He silently geared up and left, unnoticed.In the forest, he saw something horrifying:
A man hanging upside down, dead.His body was carved with words — "We see you."
Suddenly — rustling behind him.
Shadows.
He ran —Through thorns, branches, over roots —As objects were thrown at him — rocks, knives, spears.
One hit him — slicing his leg.He left a trail of blood behind… unknowingly.
10:00 AM – The Confrontation
Ayush, Shivam, and Suraj followed the trail until they heard:
Screams.Weapons clashing.
They ran — faster, louder — until they saw—
Kartik cornered by a group of 19 gang members, injured and panting.
Ayush (shouting):"NOW!"
All three of them charged in, fighting with fury.
Shivam's axe.Ayush's machete.Suraj's dual knives.
Every move was precise — they didn't hesitate.
Within 10 minutes, 17 of the attackers were dead.
Two tried to escape — but Suraj tackled one, and Shivam punched the other out cold.
11:00 AM – Back at Base
The group returns.
Sana sees Kartik and breaks down into tears of relief. She runs and holds him tight.
Kartik (whispering):"I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing."
Ayush (to everyone):"We found a signal. But it might be bait.For now—we stay. We plan. We interrogate."
The two captured gang members are dragged inside.Tied to chairs. Bloody, furious. But alive.
The group surrounds them.
Ayush (coldly):"Let's find out who sent that signal..."
END OF EPISODE – On the Wall
Ayush carved the message:
"Kartik confirmed the Reset exists.We move tomorrow. With weapons.No mercy for traitors."
Everyone stared at the wall —The blood, the pain, the truth.
Tomorrow… everything would change.
.............................
My message to the readers :
Hey readers, what's up?
First off, I wanna thank you all. Seriously. The fact that you're here, reading this, waiting for what's next—it means everything. But I gotta be honest… it hurts to admit this.
I got cocky. Thought I was ahead of the game. I already wrote Season 2 all the way to Episode 29. But when I went back and read everything from Season 1, Episode 1? Too many mistakes. And the big ones? They started piling up from Season 10. So I had to scrap it. The Episode 9 you just read it is scheduled like ep10.
But listen—what's coming next? It's gonna be 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 times more explosive. You'll feel it in your bones. Blood, betrayal, sacrifices—will Ayush and his team find peace, or just more bodies to bury? Will they watch the people they love die right in front of them? You'll see.
Stick around. Read on time. Keep supporting me—because that's what keeps me going.
Thank you, readers. Stay sharp.
— Ayush