7
A new dawn was rising when she returned to Rajeev. She knocked the front door but got no response. Early sprinkles of light came down along with sweet chirping of birds. Mridula felt a never ending blitheness from inside.
She knocked again, this time forcibly and repeatedly. After a few moments Rajeev opened the door with ire clearly visible on his face of breaking his sleep. He looked at the girl and was surprised to see her close resemblance with Mridula.
Is she her sister? He knows that she doesn't have any siblings.
“It’s me Rajeev.” Her soothing voice came out and Rajeev knew he was willfully surrendering to it.
“Mridula.” He called her passionately.
She wrapped her hands around his neck and let her lips brush his.
A black smoky figure looked at them from behind a tree. Time for the next prey. A whisper echoed around it. As Rajeev and Mridula entered the house, it disappeared into the morning zephyr.
*-*
Sub Inspector Adam was an efficient police officer. He was thirty seven but unmarried. His wife as he often says is his duty. He was a well built man towering six foot tall with broad chests and well packed abdomen muscles. He works out two hours daily in his personal multi fitness room he prepared in the first floor of his house.
The buzzing of his mobile phone woke him up. At first he thought it was the alarm but later he realized it was a call. He picked up the phone and looked at the screen.
Hameed calling!
Something bad has happened. His mind warned him. The time was only five in the morning.
“What happened, Hameed?” He asked anxiously.
“We found a dead body.” His voice was shivering.
“Where?” He asked again uneasily.
“At the ground, near the old highway. It’s a terrible sight, unbearable to watch.” Hameed’s trembling voice informed him.
How many terrible sights I have seen? What new this one could make?
“What are the odds Hameed? How bad is it?”
“It’s worse. A male probably thirty years old lying in a pool of blood. He is naked and has been sheared into two. Not too far away we found a girl lying unconscious in the shrubs. We have shifted her to the hospital. Only she knows what happened here.”
“What do you think?” He tried to figure the scene in his mind.
“I think he was attacked by a lone tusker. Adam we need you here.”
Adam let out whistling sound. “I will be there in half an hour.” It is not as bad as you say.
He walked straight into the bathroom. He looked at the mirror and asked the image. “Why did you go that way? That's an old, dilapidated and abandoned highway.”
He felt something is not right. No one uses that path unless they were planning something else. What could have been their intentions? Whatever they intended to do was failed because of a wild tusker. He could guess only one thing. They both went there to have some fun but in between they were interrupted and he got killed.
The surprising element was he ever heard of any feral animals roaming around that perimeter. He took his eyes off the mirror and cleansed his face with water. When he raised his face and looked again he saw a silhouette standing behind him. He suddenly looked back but saw nothing. He stared at the mirror and there was no silhouette. Fucking illusions!
Too much of thoughts. He pouted his lips.
He suddenly felt that he is being watched. It was so strange he couldn't stop looking around. A wave of panic created an aura of fear around him. He never felt this way before. This is unexplainable. He wondered. A presence of someone or something haunted him.
He quickly freshened up and took his jeep with his eyes roaming around the house to see if anyone was really watching him. He started the jeep.
On his way he looked at the back seat as the feeling of someone sitting was getting intense. His concentration was getting disturbed and he almost collided with an oil tanker.
Sheer luck!
He was able to turn and twist the vehicle and the jeep just brushed the sides of the tanker. It was a close call. His heavy suspiration said it all.
Is there really someone with me?
He wasn't ready to believe in ghosts. He doesn’t even believe in gods, ghosts had no chance. Yet he felt a mysterious aura close to him and he knew it was unavoidable.
Hameed was waiting for him at the spot. He walked with him to the place where the body was found. It was indeed a horrible sight. The man was torn into half till his heart. It was obvious he had a painful death. Blood pooled around him. His internal organs were seen outside.
“What do you think?” Hameed looked at his eyes.
“I don't know. I am unable to think after seeing this.” He could feel the bile churning inside his stomach. It’s good that I didn't have my breakfast yet.
“I definitely feel it would be a wild elephant.” He said undoubtedly. Adam wobbled his head slightly as he partially agreed with him. He looked once again at the body. His vulture eyes scanned from top to bottom.
“Is it possible to tear someone like this without pressing one leg to the ground?”
“No.” Hameed replied looking at the corpse. His brows took a half moon shape.
“Was the girl also naked?” Adam asked.
“No. her clothes were intact.”
“Something doesn’t match up. If it was a lone tusker one of his legs would have been crushed.” Adam continued.
“Are you saying it is not an elephant?”Hameed interrupted.
“I am not sure. Whatever it was, there was more than one. They pulled him hard to tear him.” Adam concluded.
Beastly fun! Hameed thought.
Black fumes shaped into an irregular form and slowly moved up the hospital wall to the fourth floor. It entered into the room through the open window and positioned itself onto the ceiling. Mohini opened her eyes to see two black smoky arms coming down towards her.
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