28
Mridula opened her eyes. Pitch black environment welcomed her. She would have been unconscious for a long time. It took her sometime to adjust her vision in the dark. She looked around to see Rajeev. She could see the motor cycle ten meters away from her. She stood up and closed her eyes. She concentrated to feel his presence anywhere near her. She sensed him lying quite a distance away from her. She could feel that he is unhurt. She rushed towards him. She woke him up and hugged.
“We are safe.” She muttered.
“Is that thing still here?” He gazed into the dark.
“No, I can't feel its presence.” She was alert. She used her powers to locate it but it was far away.
“Why didn't it hurt us?” He couldn’t believe yet. He only remembers the black smoke engulfing them. It was warm inside and smelled death. He was completely blinded, his hands were shivering and he lost the control over his vehicle. He thought that this would be his last day. But they have survived unscathed.
“I don't know. Maybe something came in between.” She was wondering what or who helped them. They have escaped from the mouth of death. They were unconscious for more than two hours.
“It will come back again, won’t it?” Rajeev asked her, nervously.
Mridula shrugged.
“We can't live like this Mridula. You have to find a solution.” How scary my life has become? Why I am not allowed to have a happy life?
“Rajeev you have to meet someone and ask his help. I cannot meet him. I am only part human. For me it will be suicidal.”
“I will see anyone to save us both. Whom you are talking about?”
“Thrithalloor Brahmadevan Namboothiri. He is the most powerful sorcerer I could find. He might be able to stop it. If he cannot then no one can.”
I will meet him even before you could. A voice whispered to itself. Why can’t you wait for your turn?
“I will meet him tomorrow.” He assured Mridula.
“Let's go home.” She helped him stand on his feet.
*-*
What if Adam was lying? Suddenly a thought came into Hameed’s brain. What if he was making some plans to save his brother? Only two policemen are standing at the station. Hameed became confused whether to go forward or return back to safeguard the police station.
Hameed was on his way to the ground. The Mahindra Bolero was driven by Reneesh. Ousep and Sreeraj sat behind. They were at the highway road where the path was dilapidated. They could only go slow avoiding the cracks and potholes. They heard faint screams of infants. They saw bright yellow light glowing somewhere and Hameed assumed it must be at the ground.
“Quick.” He voiced to Reneesh. I will go to ground first and then I should question Abel thoroughly. It is time for answers.
He doubted whether he would be able to save Shah even if he has been attacked. Reneesh was doing good job at the wheels driving through a destroyed path. Suddenly Reneesh applied the brakes. The wheels screeched to a halt.
“What happened? Why did you stop?”
“I saw a black figure in front of the vehicle. It was like a moving shadow flickering with the wind.”
They all looked outside. Nothing was there.
“The road is empty. Were you dreaming?”
“No sir.” I clearly saw it.
“It could be an outline of some tree.” Hameed calmly said.
Then they all saw dusky fumes slowly descending down and formed a human shape. Two balls of fire appeared and looked at them.
“Sir, it's indeed a ghost.” Reneesh gently whispered. He was trembling in fear. He looked at others to make sure they were also seeing.
Don't come in my way. They heard those words clearly. It sounded like metal clang and felt like an echo coming from a deep tunnel.
Hameed saw that the description Adam gave suited it perfectly. Reneesh and other policemen waited for Hameed to say something. They wanted to leave.
“Who are you?” Hameed asked, hiding his fear.
Irrelevant. The reply came.
“I am a sub inspector of police. I want to know what is happening here.” He chanted Bismillahi al Rahman al Rahim repeatedly.
Impuissant. Another echo reverberated around them.
“Sir let’s go.” He looked earnestly at his subordinate. “We will come in the morning.”
“Get out of my way. Thavakalthu alallah (Allah save us). I am not afraid of your magic tricks.” He looked intensely into the fumes. It was only smoke and nothing else. He wondered where the sound is coming from.
Never come this way. A thunder rumbled in the sky.
“Go through the smoke.” Hameed looked at the quaking Reneesh.
Suddenly a fetus landed on the front glass and it was obscured by blood. A couple more followed and the image in front went opaque. Then before they even realized the vehicle was raised into the air. It suspended in the air and started shaking vigorously. All of them shuddered in fear. Groans filled the midair. They started praying to all the gods they knew. “Allahu Akbar.” Hameed screamed. But no gods came. The car was thrown as if it was a pebble and crashed onto a tree and fell down with a heavy thump.
*-*
A red sedan braked in front of the police station. Leo, the finger print expert got out and walked into the station. He was a short dusky man in his mid-forties. Years of experience has created wrinkles on his forehead. He had a blue file in his hand. Two sentries stood at the entrance. Police station was silent. He went inside but saw no one but a priest inside the prison cell. He now knows the reason. The blue file in his hand had his finger prints to compare with which obtained from the murder sites. Unfortunately they didn't match.
Hameed's primary suspect will walk out of here free.
Leo called a sentry inside. “Where is Hameed?”
“They have went somewhere in a hurry. There had been some unusual incidents at the hospital.”
That latest news kept Abel interested.
“What kind of incidents?” He asked expecting someone may answer him.
“They said there was some blackout.”
Abel's heart skipped a beat. It was there at the hospital. Is Adam safe?
Everything is unusual about this case. Thought Leo. He was eager to meet the serial killer and wish to know how he looked like. As per the reports he must be a monster of a man.
There was silence as everyone was thinking something or the other in their minds. The silence was broken when the mobile phone in the sentry's pocket rang. A hit film song was heard aloud. He talked. Leo and Abel could make out that something worse has happened from the conversation and emotions. His voice was high pitched and he only asked questions. He cut the call and immediately dialed to the control room. Both Leo and Abel became shocked to hear what he said.
“There was an accident in the old highway. All four policemen injured. Reach there immediately.”
Leo looked at him aghast.
He said. "Reneesh said they were attacked by some unknown thing. He doesn't know what that was.”
“It's a ghost.” Abel said from inside the cell. “It has attacked Adam and it is core of this case. I don’t know what it has done.”
Leo couldn't control his laughter and the sentry also joined.
“Whatever is unknown, people say either it is a god or a ghost.” The sentry mocked the priest. He was a young guy, a new generation boy in his twenties. It was obvious he would prefer science over religion.
“Those policemen will say the same thing, that they were attacked by some demonic force.” Abel defended himself. “Please get me out of here, I need to meet Adam.”
Both the guys stood unmoved.
The priest repeated. “Let me go. I am Adam's brother. You can call him to confirm that.”
They looked at each other. Leo placed a call to Adam. The call ended just three minutes.
He looked at the sentry. “Release him.” He knows that the fingerprints are not a match and there is no point in keeping him in prison. Hameed hasn't registered the arrest as he wanted to see the results first. The sentry was still unresponsive.
“Open the cell. He is innocent. I will talk to the commissioner.”
As the sentry opened the iron door to the cell, Abel asked. “Please tell me what the case all about is. Maybe I could help in some way.”
“I will tell you what I know.” Leo accepted.
******-------******