From Chapter Twenty
Rudra was telling her about his experiences in the woods and a girl he had met—Nisha, but Preeti was too distracted to pay full attention to his narration.
He was holding her hand as they walked and even helped her over a fallen tree that was blocking their path. She saw no obstacles and didn’t even feel the cold. The rain was gone leaving behind a chill in the air and small puddles which Rudra navigated them around.
She didn’t care how eerie the forest was or how quiet—just that she was no longer alone.
Her boyfriend Abhi had held her hands many times, but not once had she felt safe like she did just now. She knew that it wasn’t the appropriate time to think about her relationships, but she wished she had never been with Abhi. Watching Rudra taking care of her right now, she thought back to the time he had proposed her and she had said no. If only she could go back in time, she would kick herself for rejecting his proposal, because now it was too late... Rudra was with someone else. He loved someone else and he cared about some girl whose name she didn’t even want to know.
Tears sprang to her eyes and that was when Rudra turned.
“Hey, are you okay?” He asked.
Preeti blinked back her tears and feigned a small smile. “Yes.”
“Where was the cliff?” He asked, dropping her hand.
Preeti felt disappointment but there was nothing she could say, could she? There was only so much she could ask from him as a friend.
“We need to find the others,” She told him.
“I think we should revisit my idea. We could call for help.”
Preeti shook her head. “Don’t you think I tried? Nothing works. It’s all like a weird illusion. Things are there, intact, but you can’t do anything. I mean we were all in an accident and the car...it was there without a scratch.”
She was finding it hard to breathe as panic weighed on her chest.
Rudra put a hand on her shoulder. “Breathe.”
Preeti did exactly that and felt some of her composure returning. “You said that girl...Nisha, said that there was still a chance for your friends. Maybe, we all have to escape together.”
“Maybe... but...”
“Trust me,” Preeti said. “There is nothing we could do even if we were out of these woods.”
“I trust you,”He said, without blinking.
“We have to find them.”
“How? Calling their names isn’t helping.”
Preeti looked all around her, seeing nothing but trees and bushes. Looking back, she half expected to see the tree with the hanging corpses behind her. When she didn’t see it, she took another calming breath.
“How did we find each other?” She asked.
“I was there…” Rudra pointed behind them. “Near that tree where...”
“Yeah,” Preeti interrupted, not wanting to hear words that would trigger a terrible memory. She wanted to forget those blank faces with white glowing eyes.
“And then you appeared,” He said, looking thoughtful. “At first I couldn’t see you properly because it was raining and thought it was Nisha. Then when I heard your voice, you can’t imagine how relieved I was to have found you.”
Preeti smiled at him, despite the circumstances surrounding them. “Me too.” She said softly.
Rudra turned away quickly then, as if trying to hide something. He put a hand to his forehead and rubbed. “So that’s how we find the others? Hoping we cross their paths by chance?”
“Maybe,” She replied sullenly.
“We’ll have to walk every inch of these woods,” He said, frustratedly. “And how do we know we didn’t already? I’ve been walking around here for god knows how long.”
“I followed a couple—they were ghosts. They led me to the cliff.”
“Wait!” Rudra said, turning back to her. “Do you not know the way to the cliffs that could get us out?”
Preeti looked up far ahead and tried to remember the first time she had come in here. There were trees and more trees. She had been following the couple so keenly that she hadn’t really noticed anything that stuck out and would bring her back to that same path.
“I don’t know,” She said. “We could go back. The couple was there near the entrance of the forest and they kept warning me to not enter.”
Rudra threw up his hands in frustration and sat down on a tree stump. He dropped his head dejectedly and Preeti knelt beside him.
We’ll be okay. There has to be a way out and find our friends,” She said.
Rudra looked annoyed and said nothing. There was that silence again she hated, and one that sent fear running through her veins.
“We have to try.” She decided that if he wouldn’t speak, then she would. Anything was better than the frightening silence.
Rudra picked up a sharp rock and stood. He walked to a tree and started hitting the trunk with the pointed edge of the rock.
Some of the wood chipped off under his ministrations and Rudra backed up. “There. Now we’ll know we’re not going around in circles.”
***
Preeti was following quietly behind him, lost in her thoughts no doubt. He walked over to another tree and chipped at the bark. He wished he had chalk or paint with him that would make his job easier. In the dim of the moonlight, the chipped bark wasn’t that visible from afar, but something was better than nothing. He resumed walking, making sure he heard Preeti’s footsteps behind him.
He walked up to another tree and chipped it, wishing he could think of a way to escape from these woods. So far he had seen no sign of his friends. He wanted to call out their names, but from what he had experienced, and so did Preeti, chances were they would attract some creature. Still, it was a better solution than walking aimlessly in the forest hoping they would chance upon their friends.
When he began walking and didn’t hear Preeti behind him, he turned and saw that she was no longer with him.
“Preeti?” He panicked and was about to run in search of her when he saw he staring at a tree and its branches. He came to her and saw that her eyes looked glazed, as if she were in a trance. Her mouth was slightly open and she stood completely still.
Rudra put his hand on her shoulder and shook her. “Preeti?”
She turned slowly toward him. “I thought I heard someone call my name,” She said in a numb voice.
Rudra looked up at the tree and saw a dark figure sitting on the branches. He clutched Preeti’s shoulder and blinked. The figure disappeared instantly, leaving him wondering if perhaps he had imagined it all.
“There’s no one here,” He said, hoping his voice didn’t belie the fright he felt.
“The voice was familiar. I thought it was one of them...” Preeti trailed off, looking dazed.
“You can’t wander off like that,” Rudra told her. He took her hand and led her away from the tree. “We have to stick together.”
“Taking a chance are we?” A voice seemed to come out of nowhere. .
Rudra turned. “What?”
Preeti shrugged. “Hmm?”
“Did you hear that?”
Preeti looked scared. “No,” She said in a tiny voice.
Rudra resumed walking, squeezing Preeti’s hand.
“Now that Mahi isn’t here, you have your chance with Preeti.” The deep voice was now a whisper.
Rudra stopped, looking all around him. The voice was closer to him and for a second he had thought that it was his inner voice.
“What’s wrong?” Preeti asked in a scared voice.
“Nothing,” Rudra said. Preeti was already rattled by whatever was happening around here. He had to make sure not to scare her even more.
“Why search for your friends when you can spend your time wooing the love of your life,” the voice said, again.
Rudra tried not responding to it or reacting, in case he frightened Preeti.
He felt a tug on his hand and saw her looking confused. “Aren’t you going to mark the trees?”
“Yeah.” He walked over to the nearest one and without letting go of her hand, he chipped the bark.
“This is the most time you can spend with her. Why go back home?”
The voice was annoying him to no end. Yet he thought it was better to ignore it. He felt a warm brush against his arm and turned, seeing no one except Preeti.
“What’s going on?” She asked.
He had to tell her before he went mad. “I think...”
“Shhh!” The voice spoke up again. “If you tell her, I’ll not make any of your wishes come true.”
“What?” He asked.
“I didn’t say anything,” Preeti said with wide, frightened eyes.
“I can make her love you,” The invisible being said. “She’ll never leave your side.”
The promise was enticing. He looked at Preeti, the girl he was so much in love with that he had regretted every moment he wasn’t with her. But wasn’t she with someone else?
“I’ll make her boyfriend disappear.” He was promised. “She’ll only belong to you.”
“Rudra what’s wrong?” Preeti asked.
“Just speak to me in your mind and I’ll answer,” The voice said.
“Nothing.” He smiled at her reassuringly and began walking.
“Do we have a deal?”
Rudra squeezed Preeti’s hand without knowing he had. He could have her and they could live happily ever after. The offer of everlasting love was too good to pass.
“We have a deal,” He muttered.
“Did you say something?” Preeti asked.
Rudra smiled. “No.”
“Then do exactly as I say,” The invisible being said.
Get the book
Comments
Post a Comment