Dark Love

The cold wind howled through the empty streets as Aarya walked, her footsteps echoing against the damp pavement. The city lights flickered, casting eerie shadows on the old buildings. Tonight was like every other night—lonely, hollow, and filled with memories she wished she could forget. She tightened her coat around herself as she reached the abandoned bridge. This was their place. A place where love once blossomed and now stood as a graveyard of broken promises. Her fingers traced the old initials carved into the wooden railing—Aarya & Vihaan. Together forever. A bitter smile curled on her lips. Forever? It had been a cruel joke. A year ago, Vihaan had sworn to love her through every storm, every sorrow, and every shattered piece of her soul. He had held her hands under the moonlight, whispering dreams of a future where they would defy fate together. But fate had other plans. Vihaan was gone. Not by choice. Not by a slow, predictable goodbye. He had been ripped away from her in the most violent way possible. A robbery gone wrong. A senseless act of cruelty. A bullet meant for a wallet had taken the love of her life instead. She had been there. She had screamed. She had held him as his blood painted the cold streets red. "I will find you again, Aarya..." were his last words. And then he was gone, the warmth of his touch fading, leaving behind an unbearable emptiness. She had spent a year searching for him—not in the living world but in the space between reality and the unknown. Nights were spent drowning in books on afterlife theories, ancient rituals, and forbidden practices. She had done things she could never confess. She had called out to the shadows, begged the darkness to return what it had stolen. And then the whispers began. At first, they were just soft murmurs in the dead of night. A voice she knew too well, carried by the wind. Then came the dreams—visions of Vihaan standing in the same places they once shared, watching her with longing in his eyes. Tonight, she was ready. She placed a single candle on the wooden railing of the bridge, its flickering flame a beacon for the lost. She whispered his name, her voice trembling but sure. The air thickened, charged with an energy both terrifying and exhilarating. Aarya felt her breath hitch as a cold hand brushed against hers. Slowly, hesitantly, she turned. Vihaan stood there, his eyes filled with the same love, the same pain. But something was wrong. His face was pale, his presence unnatural, his eyes darker than she remembered. "You called me back..." his voice was soft but edged with something inhuman. Tears streamed down her face. "I had to. I couldn't live without you." He stepped closer, his fingers grazing her cheek. "But, my love... some doors, once opened, can never be closed." And as the candle's flame flickered and died, so did Aarya’s last breath.