The Abandoned Resort, Sardar Samand Lake

Ruhanika awoke with a start, her head pounding. The room was dimly lit, moonlight filtering through heavy curtains that swayed gently in the breeze. For a moment, disorientation clouded her mind as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. This wasn't her bedroom at the palace. The memories came rushing back—the mall, the men grabbing her, Smita Aunty struggling against her captors, the sharp sting of something being pressed against her neck, then darkness.