“Only one suitcase?” the broker asked. 

At Shruti's nod, the broker chuckled, “Guess you were serious about a fresh start. Good Luck!”

Handing her the key to the apartment, the broker walked out, leaving Shruti alone in the small apartment she had rented. 

Running her hand over the bare walls, Shruti felt happiness bubble into her. Her lips split into a wide grin as she did a little jig.

Just then, her phone pinged. It was a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. 

Shruti's grin faded. Her fingers hesitated before she opened the message. It was a voice note.

Delete it! Don't press play! Her heart screamed. But her fingers seemed to have a mind of their own. 

“You can try to run as far away as possible. But you can't run forever. I will always find you.”

An icy fist clenched around her heart on hearing the controlled menace of the softly spoken words. 

Fear, pain, and helplessness spilled over as tears. There was a time when the same words had made her heart throb with desire. It was only after marriage she realised what a fool she had been. His possessiveness became so suffocating that she had started fearing for her life. 

Five years ago, she had run away to escape him. 

She had crisscrossed the country, chopped off her hair and even changed her name. But every time she thought she had succeeded, he found her. He never gave up the chase.

However, in the past two years, hope had bloomed. He had not reached out or messaged her. She thought the crowds of Mumbai had saved her. She was no longer Mrs. Deepa Sharma, a housewife from Ambala, but content writer Shruti Singh from Mumbai.

He had found her when she thought she had finally succeeded in escaping and let down her guard. 

Outside, a koel warbled, ku, ku, ku... 

Shruti shivered. 

You can run as far away as you can, you can’t run forever. The words played again, dragging her into the darkness. 

Let me finish this chase forever. He can’t chase me if I don’t exist, she decided, running out of the apartment. 

You can’t run forever. His words repeated in her mind as she ran like a woman possessed through the crowd. 

A passerby bumped into her, making her fall and breaking her mad dash. Her eyes widened when she noticed she was in front of a temple. 

An invisible force pulled her feet inside the temple dedicated to the Goddess Kali. She looked at the idol unblinkingly for a few minutes. Suddenly, there was a soft breeze that made her hair dance. She felt a current go up her spine, and her lips curved into a gentle smile. Bowing her head, she walked out. On the way back to her apartment, her steps were measured, her spine straight, and her eyes burned with a hidden fire. 

You are right, Deepak. I cannot run forever. This time, I will fight to end the chase! She thought, deleting the voice note and blocking the number. 

She hummed to herself as she started unpacking.

If Kali Ma can vanquish the demon army to save the world, then I too can defeat one man to save myself, she thought, hanging her clothes in the closet.