Hi everyone,
This is a serialized fiction story that I’ve personally written, and I am planning to release the first season of this long-form novel in 20 episodes here. I have poured my heart and soul into writing this and spent countless hours on it. I truly wished I could have published it as a physical book, but unfortunately, the high costs of printing and publication were beyond my financial reach. However, because I deeply want others to read my story, I decided to share it here. Perhaps some of you might enjoy spending your time reading it and will look forward to the next parts. If you like the story, my writing style, and my pen, I would be incredibly grateful if you supported me and my work—whether for its eventual publication or right here on this platform and others.
Thank you for reading. Here is Part 1:
It was late autumn in Tehran, and it was already past 11:00 PM. The weather wasn’t cold enough to drive you inside or make you shiver, but it wasn't pleasant enough to enjoy either. Even though it had rained for an hour or two around sunset, it seemed like Tehran's smog had no intention of leaving; that heavy, polluted air still found its way into the lungs of anyone living in this crowded city.
The shop lights were turning off one by one, and their yellow glow, which stretched across the wet asphalt of the street, was gradually getting lost in the darkness. I had been walking aimlessly for about an hour. I had no idea where I was or where I was going; did I even have anywhere to go?
Even though my parents treated me with endless patience and respect, pretending like nothing was wrong, honestly, I was too ashamed to even look them in the eye. They were putting up with me; they didn't want to pressure me. Even when they spoke, they always tried to show they understood. Their entire concern had become motivating me and keeping me hopeful, so I wouldn't feel alone.
My father was a retired insurance clerk, and my mother was a school principal; this was her final year, and she would retire in a few months. I have a sister, Reyhaneh; she’s twenty-three and five years younger than me. Last year, she married my cousin and moved out. Thank God, she has a good, peaceful life, and my parents don't have any specific worries about her. But this limbo and confusion of mine had badly messed them up too. I could clearly see they were worried about my future; their anxiety was justified, but I couldn't just cheer them up with a bunch of empty, pretty words.
For example, should I just go home right now with a box of sweets and a fake smile and say, "Come on, sweeten your mouths, because your boy Rahee finally got hired at a big-shot company with a great salary and benefits!"? So what? How long could I keep their spirits up with these massive lies? A few days later, when they saw there was no news of a job or employment, they would be even more crushed. That would be much worse, because I would have shown them an ocean, only for them to realize it was just a mirage when they got close.
But then again, it couldn't go on like this either... I couldn't go home anymore and look into their waiting eyes, which asked with a glance, "Well, what was the result? How did today's interview go?" What would I say? That I got hired? Or that this one, just like every other case in the one year since I finished my studies, turned out negative?
There was really nowhere left for me to go. I had asked everyone you could possibly think of; from newspaper ads to these job-seeking websites where I poured tons of money into their accounts, and in the end, absolutely nothing! I really had no hope left of finding a job related to my field and that degree I had slaved away for all these years. Now, when it was time to reap the rewards of all that hard work, I had hit a dead end like this. Looking at myself, I couldn't find even a shred of a reason to be hopeful about the path ahead.
As usual, these exact thoughts were racing through my head, and my legs were acting on their own free will, just walking. It was as if they weren't taking orders from my brain at all; they had no specific destination, they were just doing their job of walking without a pause. It didn't matter to them at all where or for what reason they were going.
I was lost in this mood when my phone started vibrating in my pocket. At first, I thought it was my mom; she probably wanted to ask where I was and why I hadn't come back by this time of night. Since morning when I left, I hadn't gone home or given any news of myself. When I pulled out the phone, I saw it was Hamed. Hamed was practically my only close friend, and we had grown up together since childhood. From school and high school to university; even though our universities weren't the same, our paths didn't separate, and we spent most of our time together.
Hamed works from home with his laptop; he’s a graphic designer and does remote projects for foreign companies. He lives independently, and even though his family is well-off financially, he has never stretched his hand out to them. His income is truly excellent, and he has no economic problems whatsoever. He would always tell me, "Rahee, you're both smarter and more talented than me, and you worked harder too. Back when you were studying, I was always fooling around and gaming. But now, I’ve been working for a few years, and unfortunately, you haven't been able to find a job suited to your dignity and degree. Forget about these office jobs, come learn what I do. Trust me, the income is great, and you’ll learn fast."
But every time, I would just reject it with a bitter smile. I didn't want to accept that after all those years of studying with excellent grades, I now had to go after a job that had absolutely nothing to do with my major. I thought to myself, if I was going to end up here anyway, why did I waste several of the best years of my life at university?
A faint smile touched the corner of my lips, and I answered the phone.
"Hello."
Hamed's voice echoed in my ear with his usual warm tone:
"Where are you, bro?"
I sighed and looked at the glowing streetlights.
"I said I'm outside." He asked why outside. I said, "My mind was cluttered, I came to walk a bit and clear my head."
Hamed laughed:
"Walking? This time of night? Man, have you gone crazy wandering around in this cold? You're not in love either... so you must have lost your mind!"
Lethargy poured through my voice:
"I was just bored, that's all."
Hamed said:
"Where exactly are you? Give me your location, I’ll come pick you up. I'm alone too, and the football match is about to start; we’ll watch it together."
I told him, "I’ll come see you tomorrow, it’s late already." He insisted, "Where are you? I'm saying give me the location so I can come." Knowing his personality, he was fixated; there was no way he would drop it. He had realized I was down, so I absolutely had to go.
I said, "Alright, fine, I’m coming myself. I'm close, you don't need to come."
He asked, "Are you sure?"
I replied, "Yeah, do you need me to bring anything?"
He said, "Nothing, everything's here. Just don't leave yourself behind in the alley..."
I hung up, put the phone in my pocket, and turned into an alley that was a few meters ahead. The alley was empty and dark. I was halfway through when the sound of something hitting the ground caught my attention. I stopped in my tracks.
When I lifted my head, the breath caught in my chest.
At a second-floor window of a house, someone was struggling to squeeze out through the bars. A few moments later, they carefully stepped onto the gas pipe next to the wall to climb down.
I stood frozen right there.
Silently and motionlessly, I just stared. They were sneaking out of the window, and I was about to have a heart attack from fear.
Of course, it was obvious they weren't very calm either, because they kept looking around, which made them notice my presence. When their eyes met mine, we just stared at each other for a few seconds. I was shocked and couldn't move, but this fixed stare of mine flustered them too, and their foot slipped on the metal pipe.
Everything happened in a single second. Their body slid off the pipe and hit the ground heavily from the height of the second floor.
My heart rate shot up. I looked around; the alley was dark, dead silent, and empty. I walked forward slowly.
They were lying on the ground, twisting in pain. A mask covered their face; they were tightly holding their leg, shivering. A backpack was on their shoulders, and two other backpacks lay slightly further away. I don't know what they were murmuring under their breath, but I couldn't make it out.
I bent down and pulled the mask down from their face.
I froze instantly. It was absolutely nothing like what I had thought.
It was a girl. A girl with a stunning face. Her eyes were half-open and exhausted, but they had a spark that, for those few seconds, detached me from the world around me.
She let out a soft groan and pressed her hand against her leg.
"Please... take me out of here... help me..."
Only then did I notice her leg was bleeding, but it was unlikely to be from the fall. I bent lower to look closer; she gasped, "I've been shot, I can't walk."
She spoke with shallow breaths, struggling for words.
"Hurry... if we stay, we're both done for."
I was confused:
"What are you talking about? What were you even doing here?"
Frustrated, she said:
"There's no time for this... don't ask anything... just take me."
I wanted to say something, but she placed her fingers on my lips and, with a voice coming from the depths of her throat, pleaded, "Please... we don't have time. This house is about to explode... we have to go."
Then, with effort, she raised her hand, pointed to the other side of the alley, and said:
"That's my car... get me to it." It was a black Rana parked a few meters away from us.
She tried to stand up, but as her weight shifted onto her leg, her face contorted in pain. She closed her eyes and said, "...I can't... I'm dying from the pain." Then, murmuring as if talking to herself, she muttered, "Damn you, where did you even come from?"
There was a strange sob in her voice. My brain felt completely stalled. When she saw I was still just standing there staring blankly, she tried to pull herself up again, but her condition was way too wrecked to walk. She looked at me helplessly.
Her gaze was full of fear, exhaustion, and despair.
Finally, I snapped out of it. I told her:
"Okay... calm down... don't move."
I bent down; I placed one arm behind her neck and shoulders, and my other arm under her knees. She quickly said, "Wait, the backpacks, bring them!" I said, "Forget them, I’ll come back for them myself." She insisted, "There's no time, give them to me, I’ll hold them." I picked up the bags, threw them onto her stomach in frustration, and said, "Take them." And as I lifted her up again, I muttered to myself, "She's dying of pain, but she's still thinking about her bags." She wasn't very heavy; I lifted her easily and walked toward her car. She said, "It's unlocked." I went toward the back door and stood in a position where she could open it herself. She opened the door, and I carefully laid her down on the seat, helping her stretch out. She said, "The keys are in the ignition, let's go please, I beg you, just go." I closed the door, climbed into the front seat myself, and started the car. I rushed out of the alley at high speed. As I reached the end of the alley...
With a massive explosion, out of sheer terror and shock, I instinctively slammed my foot on the brake, bringing the car to a rough, sudden stop. Everything behind us lit up from the fire. The girl's groans snapped me back to reality, and I looked back at her. I saw her face tightly drawn in pain and realized that because of my sudden braking, she had been violently jolted, and her pain had worsened. She gasped, "Go, just go, they’re going to catch us now." I quickly accelerated and drove away from there...
(If you want to know what happens next, please let me know in the comments! Your support means the world to me.)