Parul shivered as the biting Himalayan wind whipped through the narrow trail, her lightweight trekking jacket doing little to ward off the dropping temperature. At 21, she had always dreamed of solo adventures—escaping the bustling chaos of Delhi for the raw, untouched beauty of the mountains. This trek in the Garhwal Himalayas was supposed to be her moment of freedom. But now, as dusk painted the snow-capped peaks in shades of orange and purple, she realized how foolish she had been. The group she had loosely joined had moved ahead, and a sudden fog had swallowed the path. Her phone had no signal, her water bottle was nearly empty, and panic was beginning to claw at her chest.

"Help!" she called out, her voice echoing weakly against the rocks. "Koi hai? (Is anyone there?)"