Shimla ka thanda subah ka hawa unke chehron ko chhoo raha tha jaise kisi ne pyaar se unka saara dard chura liya ho. Haunted hotel ke andar jo bhi hua tha, ab woh sab ek kahani ban chuka tha—ek aisi kahani jo sirf woh dus ladkiyan hi samajh sakti thi jo uss raat waha thi.
The girls packed their bags quietly, each lost in her thoughts. No jokes, no shouting, no chaos—bas ek sukoon bhara sannata.
"Prajwal, tu theek hai na?" Swara asked softly as they stepped out of the hotel.
"Haan… bas thoda heavy lag raha hai sab kuch. Par hum sab safe hain, wohi kaafi hai," Prajwal replied, adjusting the strap of her backpack.
Akshada looked up at the old building one last time, "Yeh hotel ab humein kabhi nahi bhoolega… aur na hi hum isse."
Apurva and Swarali, usually full of energy and excitement, were uncharacteristically silent. Unke aankhon mein kuch alag hi tha—jaise unhone kuch bada samajh liya ho life ke baare mein.
Rutuja whispered, "Lydia ke liye bhi bura lag raha hai… usne toh sirf pyaar aur sukoon chaha tha."
Khushi nodded, "Aur humein usse milkar yeh realise hua ki har kahani ke do pehlu hote hain."
Bus station ke taraf chalte waqt, Akshara ne halki si muskaan ke saath kaha, "Main toh soch rahi thi ghost dekhte hi faint ho jaungi, par dekho… main zinda hoon!"
That light joke broke the tension, and the girls giggled for the first time in days.
Anushka smirked, "Agar ghost hota handsome toh tu pehle line mein hoti flirt karne ke liye."
Srushti burst out laughing, "Haan aur tu uska Insta handle bhi maang leti!"
Laughter filled the morning air, and for a moment, it felt like things were finally falling back into place.
They boarded the bus. As the vehicle pulled away from the hotel, the girls looked out of the windows. Some smiled. Some closed their eyes to soak in the calm. Some simply watched the scenery pass by, as if finally seeing Shimla in its true beauty.
Swara leaned closer to Prajwal and said, "You know… tu sach mein ek leader jaisi thi waha. Agar tu nahi hoti toh hum sab… shayad kabhi wapas nahi aate."
Prajwal smiled faintly. "Leader nahi… bas ek dost jo chaahti thi sab safe rahe."
Swarali, sipping on her coffee from the flask, added, "Yeh trip mujhe sirf Shimla nahi yaad dilayega… yeh mujhe yaad dilayega ki dosti, himmat, aur samajhdaari kitni important hoti hai."
They talked, shared silence, and slowly returned to their old selves as the bus took them closer to home.
Lydia's story had ended, but unki apni kahani abhi baaki thi.
Shimla ne unhe sirf dar nahi diya tha—usne unhe unki asli strength dikhayi thi.
Aur shayad… zindagi bhi wahi hoti hai—unexpected, scary, lekin jab saath ho… toh har horror story ek lesson ban jaati hai.
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