The office clock ticked past 11 PM as Priya rubbed her tired eyes, packing her laptop into her bag. She'd stayed late again, buried in reports for the quarterly deadline. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting harsh shadows on the empty cubicles. Her feet ached in her worn-out heels, and she sighed, realizing she'd missed the last bus home. The walk to the bus stop had been futile; the streets were dark and empty now, the city winding down into silence.

Priya stepped out into the cool night air, the roadside dimly lit by sporadic streetlamps. She pulled her dupatta tighter around her shoulders, her salwar kameez slightly rumpled from the long day. The road stretched ahead, leading to her modest apartment in the suburbs, but it was a good two-hour walk, and she felt a knot of unease in her stomach. Cars whizzed by occasionally, but none slowed down. She started walking, her phone clutched tightly, the screen showing no signal bars in this industrial stretch.