The stench was the first thing that hit me—a thick, sweet rot that clung to the back of my throat. Then came the sound. A low, rhythmic hum of a thousand flies, their iridescent bodies coating the pale, sunken skin of my father’s face. He lay on a rusted hospital cot, his eyes open but vacant. Beside him, my little sister reached out to me, her fingers skeletal, her lips moving in a silent plea before her skin began to grey and flake away like ash.

  I tried to scream, but my lungs were filled with the buzzing of those black wings.

  "Ugh, why are Gaurav and Lila always late! They’ve been married for three months and they still haven't learned how a clock works!"

  The nightmare shattered. The smell of death was instantly replaced by the sharp, expensive scent of leather and roasted garlic at Gupta’s Dine.

  I jerked upright, my heart hammering against my ribs. My palms were slick with sweat, leaving damp prints on the white tablecloth.

  "Now, now, Rekha, just chill," Nitish said. He didn't even look up from his phone, his thumb lazily scrolling through a stock market app. He looked like he belonged in a different world—wearing a watch that cost more than my father’s surgery and sitting in the private booth he’d booked without even glancing at the price. "Drink your soda before the ice melts."

  Rekha didn’t chill. She was the "hot-head" of our circle, a storm in a sundress. She slammed her glass down, the ice rattling like teeth. "It's easy for you to say 'relax,' Nitish. You have a driver. I’ve been sitting here for an hour in a dress that cost me a week’s salary, and now it’s got a soda stain because some kid bumped into me!"

  She looked at me, her expression softening for a split second as she noticed my pale face. "Vikash? You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

  "Just... the heat," I lied, my voice cracking. I reached out, patting her hand to calm the storm. "Hey, don't worry about the dress. I’ll buy you a new one later. A better one."

  It was a reflex. A lie I couldn't afford.

  Rekha didn’t smile. She leaned in, her face barely an inch from mine. I could feel the heat radiating off her. For a second, the bustling restaurant went silent.

  "No need for a dress or anything, Vikash," she whispered, her voice low and dangerous. "I would rather hear what you have to say about us instead."

  "Huh? What do you mea—"

  CRACK.

  I let out a muffled yelp as Rekha’s heel slammed onto my foot under the table. She didn't look away; she just held my gaze with a look that was half-longing and half-furious. I knew exactly what she meant. We’d been hovering on the edge of something for years, but as I looked at her, the image of my sister’s skeletal fingers from my dream flashed in my mind. How could I give her hope for a future when I was barely surviving the present?

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  A sudden burst of laughter from the entrance saved me. Gaurav and Lila practically tumbled into the booth, wearing matching red hoodies. They were our "Shiny Couple"—the ones who had run away and eloped three months ago, causing a scandal that made their families hate us all. They carried a frantic, beautiful energy, like they were always one step ahead of a disaster.

  "We're here! The boss made us work a 'little extra' for this vacation," Gaurav panted, his face worn but his eyes bright.

  "More like Gaurav spent twenty minutes trying to find his keys," Lila teased, swatting his arm.

  The table erupted into the usual chaos. I sat there, feeling the weight of the secret Rekha had shared with them.

  "So," Nitish leaned forward, clicking his phone off. "Jaisalmer. One month. The desert is calling."

  I cleared my throat. "Hey guys... actually, I can’t go."

  The laughter died. I kept my eyes on the table. I expected them to be confused. I expected to have to lie about being 'busy.'

  "Nitish, I really can't," I started, my pride flaring up. "I have responsibilities. I'm not—"

  "Bro, stop," Nitish interrupted. He didn't sound annoyed; he sounded like a CEO closing a deal. "Do you really think we don't know? Or that we don't care?"

  I froze. I shot a look at Rekha. She was suddenly very interested in her empty glass, frantically sipping through a straw until it made a pathetic scratching sound. Her cheeks were burning red.

  "Rekha told us everything, Vikash," Nitish said. He pulled a checkbook from his breast pocket—a cool, professional movement. He scribbled a number and slid it across the table. "This isn't a gift. It's a loan. This covers your dad’s hospital fees and your rent for two months. But in return, you're coming to Rajasthan."

  He leaned in, his gold-rimmed glasses catching the light. "You want to be a writer, right? Well, look at you. You're writing from a place of fear. You need inspiration. Consider this trip your 'research phase.' You pay me back when your first book gets adapted into a movie. Deal?"

  A single drop of tear rolled down my cheek. I swallowed it, the salt stinging my throat. My self-respect wanted to scream 'no,' but I looked at that check and saw my father’s life.

  "Deal," I whispered.

  "Great!" Gaurav shouted, breaking the tension. "Because if we're going for 'writing inspiration,' I have the perfect spot. But it’s gonna take some serious guts."

  He held his phone to his chest, grinning like a madman, trying to build the suspense. "Imagine a place where an entire village disappeared in a single night. A place where—"

  Lila didn't wait. She leaned over and snatched the phone right out of his hand.

  "Hey!" Gaurav protested.

  Lila ignored him, her eyes scanning the screen. Suddenly, she giggled—a nervous, sharp sound—and turned the screen toward us. "A one-month vacation in... Kuldhara? The ghost village?"

  She showed everyone the grainy image of the abandoned stone streets. Gaurav quickly snatched the phone back, tucking it away as if it were a treasure.

  Lila crossed her arms and gave him a look that said, 'How dare you snatch that back?' but the playful spark in her eyes remained. "So, Vikash? Is that enough 'inspiration' for you?"

  We all laughed. It was a goofy, high-energy sound. We were young, we were together, and we felt like the kings of the world.

  But as I looked at the dark, hollow windows of the houses in the photo Lila had shown us, the buzzing of the flies from my dream returned to my ears, just for a heartbeat. I had taken the money to save my family's life, but I had a sickening feeling that Kuldhara was already preparing to take mine.