A young newlywed on his honeymoon, strolls beside his wife , her red bangles shimmering in the light. Around them, groups of men chat by the riverside, some setting up a cricket game, while families prepare breakfast over campfires. The serenity is punctuated by laughter, echoing off the mountains, as the valley awakens in peace.
The cricket game halts as Salim, one of the locals, notices the strangers. A chilling silence falls over the meadow; birds scatter into the trees. The gunmen herd everyone into a clearing, their eyes cold and calculating.
A mother of three, clutches her children, her heart pounding. One by one, the men respond, voices quivering. When a man hesitates, a rifle butt cracks against his shoulder, and the line shuffles forward under the menacing gaze of the attackers.
The newly wedded girl collapses beside her bleeding husband whose shirt stains red as she holds his hand, her face blank with shock. The attackers move methodically, their mission chillingly precise.
"Kill me and my children too. I do not want to live after this," One gunman lowers his rifle, his eyes unreadable behind the mask. "We are leaving you so that you can tell Modi," He gestures for her to step back, voice icy and final.
the girl sits in stunned silence beside her bleeding husband who fades with each breath, his blood seeping into the earth. The mother gathers the surviving children, her voice hoarse as she murmurs prayers for the lost. In the distance, the sound of sirens and approaching footsteps hint at belated help, but the valley of Pahalgam will never be the same.
