TALES OF TAJ

CHAPTER VIII

PLOT STORY:

Ava, a skilled and mysterious woman, is on a mission to protect Ruby, her friend and companion. When they are ambushed by robbers, Ava's protective instincts kick in, and she defeats the attackers.

However, Ruby is shaken by the incident and feels vulnerable. Ava tries to reassure her, but Ruby's trust is broken. Ava must now navigate the complex web of her own emotions and Ruby's fragile state to restore their bond.

As they seek refuge in a hotel, Ava receives a cryptic phone call that hints at a larger conspiracy. Ava's secrets begin to unravel, and Ruby's curiosity is piqued.

*Conflict:*

- Ava's struggle to balance her protective instincts with Ruby's need for independence

- Ruby's trust issues and vulnerability after the attack

- The mysterious phone call and its implications on Ava's past and their current situation

*Themes:*

- Protection and vulnerability

- Trust and loyalty

- Secrets and deception

*Character Arcs:*

- Ava: From a confident and mysterious protector to a vulnerable and emotionally exposed individual

- Ruby: From a shaken and vulnerable victim to a stronger and more determined individual

This plot sets the stage for a thrilling and emotionally charged story that explores the complexities of relationships, trust, and protection.

MAIN STORY:

As the robbers charge towards Ava, she swiftly takes down one of them before they can reach her. The robbers realize that taking on Ava alone is futile and decide to attack her together.

Ava, anticipating their move, pretends to retreat towards the car. The robbers, thinking they have the upper hand, follow her. One of them mocks, "Look, this girl is scared of us."

However, Ava surprises them by pulling out a chainsaw from the car's trunk and starting it up. Ruby is shocked to see the array of weapons in the car.

The robbers, frightened by the chainsaw, flee in panic. Ava catches one of them and interrogates him, "Who sent you?" The robber replies, "No one sent us, we're just here to rob."

Ava presses him, "You're lying. If you were just here to rob, you wouldn't have attacked Ruby like that. Tell me, who sent you?" The robber, terrified, tries to respond, but before he can, someone shoots and kills him.

Ava barely catches the shooter's name but notices a masked man in the van who fired the shot.

Ava walks towards Ruby, who still has tears in her eyes. Ruby looks at Ava and slaps her hard, saying, "If you ever do something like this again, you'll see how bad things can get between us."

Ava asks Ruby, "What's wrong?" Ruby replies, "I kept asking you, Ava, what will you do now? I was watching you, and you didn't even look at me or respond. Remember what you said on the flight? You said no one would touch me in India. But today, a man grabbed my hand, Ava."

Ruby breaks down in tears and collapses into Ava's arms. Through her tears, Ruby says, "He touched me, Ava. He said dirty things to me. Why did you let him grab my hand? You know my hands are burning, my body is burning. I don't understand what's happening, Ava. You know that when I was attacked twice before, no one touched me. My body can't tolerate any man's touch, Ava. What do I do?"

Ava had never seen anyone cry like this before, so she didn't know how to calm Ruby down. Ava apologizes to Ruby and says, "From now on, I promise you that no one will dare to touch you like that again. Trust me."

Ruby looks at Ava, and Ava asks her to forgive her. Ruby is too emotional to speak. Ava says, "We can't stay in this jungle for too long. We need to leave before it gets dark."

Ava looks at the car and says, "This car is not in a condition to drive. Oh, where is your brother? We could have left with him." Ruby replies, "We got lost, and he must think I deliberately drove away fast to avoid him and roam around before going home."

Ava asks, "Why would he think that?" Ruby explains, "I've done it before." Ava suggests, "Okay, no problem. You can call him." Ruby says, "My phone is dead, and I couldn't charge it."

Ava asks, "Don't you remember his number?" Ruby replies, "No, I don't." Ava says, "Okay, no problem. I'll think of something to get us out of here." Ava then notices a van behind the car, which the robbers might have left behind in their hurry.

Ava checks the van and finds the keys inside. She inspects the van to ensure it's safe and then asks Ruby to get in. Ruby agrees, and they transfer their luggage from the car to the van. Ava gets into the driver's seat, and Ruby sits beside her. Ava starts the van and drives away.

Ava and Ruby finally exit the jungle and reach the main road. Ava says to Ruby, "See, I told you I'd find the road!" Ruby replies, "You didn't do anything, the GPS showed us the way." Ava says, "But I drove, didn't I?" Ruby teases, "Yes, you can say that."

Ruby then says, "Listen, I'm getting hungry." Ava responds, "I know, I saw a hotel nearby. We can stay there for the night and leave for your home in the morning." Ruby agrees, "That's a good idea."

Ava and Ruby arrived at a hotel called "Mom's Dream", which offered both food and lodging. Ruby went to the reception and booked a room. Ava asked Ruby, "We're two people, why did you book only one room?" Ruby replied, "If someone else comes, who will protect me?" Ava said, "Okay, that's fine then." Ruby took the room key and, holding Ava's hand, headed to the room.

As soon as they entered the room, Ruby lay down on the bed. Ava called the helper to order some food. Then Ava went to Ruby and said, "Go take a shower, then it's my turn." Ruby agreed and went to take a shower.

Ava sent Ruby to take a shower and lay down herself. Then, Ava remembered something and took out her phone. She dialed a number and said, "This is getting a bit too difficult. I don't think I can do this anymore, but I'll try for your sake."

Meanwhile, Ruby was thinking about Ava while taking a shower. She noticed that Ava's behavior had been off since morning, and the fact that Ava had taken a gun out of her car didn't sit well with her. Ruby thought to herself, "There's something about Ava that I'm not seeing, or maybe I just don't want to see it."

Ava hung up the phone and went back to Ruby. Ruby was still in the shower, and Ava brought her a towel.

"Ava, who were you talking to?" Ruby asked as she stepped out of the shower.

Ava smiled and said, "An old friend. They sent me a message."

Ruby looked at Ava and said, "Ava, tell me the truth. Who were you talking to?"

Ava looked at Ruby and said, "Ruby, you'll know the truth. But not now."

Ruby looked at Ava and said, "Ava, I trust you. But you have to tell me the truth."

Ava looked at Ruby and smiled. "Ruby, you'll know the truth. But not now."

Then, Ava and Ruby looked at each other and smiled. But Ruby's mind was filled with a question - who was Ava talking to?

To be continue...