Second Chance (Vol.1) Squandered

32: Spinoff - Flu@17 and 7 weeks

PC: @pluviophile_001

(Hi - Parts 31-39 are on the spinoff characters Clu and Flu. Aditya enters their lives in part 34. To continue with the AdiYa story jump to part 41- yours truly MissWW)

One day Flu returned from school and was stunned to find Anna arguing with her Dad. Gran-ma had gone extra senile. Anna refused to leave Flu alone at home with Gran-ma. Anna was asking her Dad to stay back. Dad was arguing back that he could not dump the risk he had accepted on to another colleague at such short notice.

When they noticed Flu they stopped arguing but continued sulking. Anna muttered that the evening thunderstorm had arrived early at their home.

Photographing the evening thunderstorm was their assignment of the day. It was an opportunity that nature provided rarely. It was also a complicated and prestigious responsibility. They were both needed at the site. Flu assured them she would be fine and pushed both the adults out of the house and slammed the door shut on them.

Anna knocked and said she only wanted a minute with Flu. When Flu let her in, Anna gave her a warm hug and asked her if she was very sure she did not want to stay the night at a friend's. In reply Flu just shoved her out of the house.

Flu watched them go. When a smiling Flu turned she realized that Gran-ma had been watching. Gran-ma smiled like crazy at Flu and told her that was the devil's last hug because the devil was not coming back ever and she cackled. Flu just ignored her.

But something had possessed Gran-ma today. Grand-ma could not climb stairs. She always stayed on the lower floor. But today Gran-ma climbed the 2 floors to follow Flu to her room. Gran-ma shook her by her shoulders. She told her that she was a freak. She was the devils-seven. She had killed her mom and Gran-pa. She had killed her cat. And since she did everything in sevens there will be more tragedies. Tonight it was exactly 7 weeks after Flu's 17th birthday! Tonight they will all die and first the devil's hand Anna will die. Anna had gone to pray to the devil and she will die.

It was then that Flu heard the 3 voices in her head for the first time.

Do not interfere.
Do not intervene.
Remember this always.

Flu was terrified. Had her Gran-ma passed on her madness to her. But she could not run for help to the neighbours with this story.

Then she almost felt it. No she knew it as good as true. Anna will die. Her Dad will die. The voices in her head spoke again.

They will die.
No one can stop it. It is written.
One who tries to stop the inevitable will cause the inevitable.

Her Gran-ma cackled again. Her madness was at its peak today. Flu squirmed out of her grip and pushed her hands off her shoulders.

Flu pushed her Gran-ma away and ran down and out into the strange evening. She had never experienced such weather before. She saw her neighbours bicycle. She unchained it and pedaled like crazy.

Flu had heard Anna and Dad discussing about a meadow on the outskirts of their town. She decided to check if they were there.

The voices in her head kept up the chant.

Do not interfere.
Do not intervene.
Remember this.

They will die.
No one can stop it. It is written.
One who tries to stop the inevitable will cause the inevitable.

Flu had no idea how she reached the meadow or how long she had pedaled. She wondered later if the devil had indeed possessed her.

The meadow had turned into a gigantic colossal auditorium for nature's biggest sound and light show. The thunderstorm at the horizon looked beautiful.