The Smiling Corpse

Humna had always enjoyed the fear she instilled in others. It gave her a sense of power, of control. She thrived on it. But when she saw that same fear in Fahad’s eyes, something shifted. He was different. His kindness was limitless, his smile warm enough to melt even the coldest hearts. Yet, he was afraid of her. And that… intrigued her.

Fahad was known by everyone in the college, yet he was closest to a girl named Fiza. She was as quiet and shy as he was, and he cared for her deeply. Humna watched from a distance as he held Fiza’s hand, protecting her from even the sunlight. It stirred something unfamiliar inside her—doubt. Would anyone ever care for her like that? Or was she doomed to be feared, never loved?

When news spread that Fiza was leaving the country, Humna expected Fahad to break down. Instead, he smiled through it, accepting fate as it came. That was his nature—always smiling, always warm, even in pain. He believed that people deserved to move forward, even if it meant leaving him behind.

But his smile was a mistake. A small, innocent mistake that cost him everything.

Naila, ruthless and cruel, noticed that smile. It wasn’t directed at her, but that didn’t matter. She couldn’t stand the way he carried kindness so effortlessly. And so, she decided to break him. It started one evening when she intentionally bumped into him, only to strike him down with a baseball bat. The college walls echoed with his screams, yet Humna did nothing. She wasn’t like Naila, but she wasn’t willing to stand against her either.

Day after day, the torture continued. His once bright face became bruised and bloodied. His warm smile—gone, his jaw shattered so he could never smile again. But it wasn’t enough for Naila. She ensured that no doctor in the city would treat him. And when he finally collapsed, unmoving for hours, Humna checked his pulse. He was gone.

Fahad didn’t even get a grave. His body was left for vultures, his existence erased like he had never mattered. The whole college knew. Some cried, some suffered in silence. Even Fiza returned, demanding to know where he was buried. But there was no grave. Only dirt, only regret.

Humna visited the place where his remains had been left. She found his bloodied watch, buried his bones in the ground, and recited prayers, hoping he would forgive them. Naila, too, eventually came to see what was left of him. For the first time, she questioned her actions. Even serial killers buried their victims. Even monsters showed some form of respect. But she had shown him none.

Then came the dreams. Fahad appeared to Fiza, whispering, “Please, don’t hurt them.” Even in death, he cared for those who had wronged him. He forgave them, though they never gave him a chance to live.

This was Naila’s punishment—not prison, not revenge. It was the hate in everyone’s eyes, the silence that followed her wherever she went. She had destroyed someone irreplaceable, and no amount of power could bring him back.

And Humna? She could no longer find joy in fear. She tried to smile like Fahad, to be kind like him. But no matter how much she tried, the truth remained—he was gone. And it was because of them.

The price of a smile had never been higher.