Little Book Of Red Lies | Shubman Gill ✓

32. To kill a vampire

Kavya wakes up with a jerk. When the events of yesterday slowly come back to her, her heartbeats increase. She thinks of Rahul waking up in an empty house all alone and her spirits drop. Yet the first thing she does as she gets out of the giant bed is to pray. She promises Waheguru to take care of herself for Rahul. She promises to not be irrational and despite all the anger she feels towards Anand, she promises to remember that she cannot win against a powerful monster like him. But she promises to keep looking for some way to escape. In return she asks Waheguru to give strength to Rahul to bear the distance.

Consequently she ends up thinking about her Sachin Kaka and how worried he would be. Of Sara. Of Arjun. And of Shubman. She sighs because she knows that Shubman must be blaming himself for her disappearance. Her eyes close again to send another prayer.

"Good morning, darling." Her eyes open as quick as a thunderbolt. When she sees Anand smiling at her, she wonders how deceiving appearances can be. Here, he looks like a normal 25 year old but in reality he has been that old for who knows how long! She shakes her head at his habit of using nicknames but decides that it is better to acknowledge him and so she gives him a curt nod.

"I am no Shubman. I cannot make you good coffee. But I tried." He says as he holds up a cup to her. And the knowledge that he is trying to impersonate a guy she had grown to care for is enough to anger her.

"I don't want to drink the coffee, Anand." In her head she repeats his statement with disdain. Yes, you are no Shubman and you shall never be.

"Too bad." He says as he starts drinking it himself.

Kavya walks around the big house aimlessly. Sadness swirls through her as she realises she has nothing to do in this giant place. Nothing is hers. Images of her own house colour her mind and bring her temporary comfort. But the feeling of restlessness persists. How long, she asks Waheguru.

*****

Rahul had barely slept the previous night. As long Shubman was a vampire things were okay. But then Anand showed up, making him hate the supernatural world. Matlab ye kya baat hui, just because you have the ability to hurt, you pick random victims for fun, he thinks grudgingly. And what the hell did my sister did to harm you, he asks as he looks up at the ceiling. She has been the most decent and loving human I have ever known.

And then it dawns on him. This isn't about his sister. It has never been. This is about his parents. They had saved Sachin Tendulkar. And that had earned them place in Anand's bad books. Can a bad vampire be allowed to have a bad book, Rahul wonders. He chuckles at his own humour, wishing that no matter what happens his sister retains her smile. He gets up from the bed quickly. He has work to do. And a sister to save.

*****

"Are vampires reaaaaally immortal? Is there no way we can kill Anand?" Rahul asks as he sits up on their kitchen platform. Shubman had decided to visit him right after his practice.

He studies Rahul's expression. He likes the fire in his eyes. And so he tells him,

"There is one way. It is risky but it can work." Rahul perks up upon hearing this.

"If we drive a wooden dagger through his heart, he will die."

"That's it?" Rahul asks, mildly disappointed. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he had assumed that there would be some weird rituals to perform or a very difficult method to follow before killing a Vampire but driving a wooden dagger through his heart sounded way too plain and simple to him.

"Yes. And that's a challenging thing to do. Since we have heightened awareness of our surroundings and godspeed we can easily stop a hand from doing that. So one either needs to catch a vampire off guard or be a vampire oneself to move that quickly."

Rahul nods, considering the possibility.

"There is another rare way too." Comes  Poornima's voice as she enters the house. Rahul rolls his eyes in his head. To think that he now knew three vampires was tough information to process. Tougher than understanding complex laws.

Even Shubman looks curious, Rahul notes.

"We vampires believe in soulmates too. And so if a soulmate, be it human or vampire, is in danger and the other protects them. The act of shielding them from the threat is powerful enough to suck life out of the vampire."

Rahul's mouth hangs open and Poornima cannot help but chuckle.

"This is a rare since when we say soulmates, we do not just mean people who love each other but literally our legend believes that they have to be two people whose souls took birth from the same source. They are like the two pieces of puzzle that fit perfectly. And it is very difficult to find someone who is literally your better half."

"You do know how sad you sound right now, na?" Rahul asks Poornima.

"It is sad but it is hope nonetheless." She has a faraway look to her. Only she knows that it is false hope. She too had been Rakesh's soulmate. Yet fortune had been against her. She wasn't even in the same place where he had been killed. Sighing to release the weight of memories she turns to pat Rahul on his shoulder.

"Don't worry champ. We will find Anand."

"And we will definitely kill him." Adds Shubman. His determination sounds impressive even to Poornima. And if her instincts are correct, it is not just determination.

It is love.