Sush...(completed)

7

Something was not right. Something was missing. It's been 31 hours since Shailza was missing. 2000 messages and 1500 calls, 250 voicemails and 52 emails - I didn't even know why I was so concerned. Even if Shailza was my imagination; her phone number, her emails - what were they. I tried to file a report in the police, but what if I was delusional? What if Shailza didn't exist. All the doubt, fear and terror of losing her crippled my mind. I didn't sleep the whole night, her thoughts surrounded my mind like a grey cloud. And my last resort was Mr Suranjan Das, though I didn't go to that creepy house again, a phone call was enough.

"Hello, Mr das?"

"Yes Mr Mehra. How can I help you?" Mr Das sounded jolly again, to my relief. The last time I saw him, his extreme glee was misssing. 

"Shailza is missing. Do you have any idea where she might be?" I asked.

"No sir. I don't know at all. And Shailza, she is a mysterious girl. She goes missing for days and then suddenly sprout back. Nobody knows who she is..where she lives."

"But you only gave me her address! And now the landlady is saying Shailza never lived here. The museum also didn't have any tour guide named Shailza.."

"Maybe, she is a lie..Mr Mehra, I told you, Kolkata is a city not to be meddled with. It has tons of secret. I can give you a suggestion..Go back to Bangalore. You will see everything has returned to normalcy.."

"Are you a bloody moron Mr Das? Just...Just forget it!" I hung up the call in frustration..My mind wasn't working. I even  tried to call Avantika, and her number didn't exist!

What was up with these two sisters, or maybe one..But Mr Das assured me one thing. Shailza was not my imagination. Because his words were a hint that he too knew Shailza very well...Mr Das was no less creepy and I resolved to get to his roots before I leave Kolkata. But before that I had to find out Ms Mathur. 

An hour passed while I was engrossed in thoughts, sitting on a sofa beside the window of my hotel room. I didn't realise when the tired side of mine had pushed me into deep sleep..

I was there again.I was there in the construction site. After the incident that happened to me in that night, I never stepped there again. But I didn't know how I was there again. The same darkness all around and same uneasiness. Fear choked my neck, while palpitation overpowered me. There was dead silence and not a bird could be seen..I tiptoed slowly, when I  heard a shrill voice..A voice in danger. And it called my name.."Amaan..Amaan.." I walked slowly towards the voice, clearly unsure of the decision I made. As I neared the voice, it sounded more human..And it didn't take me long to realise the voice was of Shailza's. She was calling me. I hurried that way untill I saw her standing in front of me. Tears and distress in her eyes. She looked so thin, so weak and fragile. Beat marks were there all over her hands and body, as if she was brutally tortured..She looked dirty and scruffy, with torn clothes..Her eyes expressed the amount of pain she was in. I ran towards her,  I ran and ran. But more I seemed to run, more distance it seemed. I was not able to reach her. And she kept calling my name, extending her hands towards me for help. But of no use, the ever increase distance kept me from reaching her. And then, the rancid smell took over the place..I was horrified to see the same woman in black coming behind her. Her charred face had the same smile and the hollow eye socket had the same fire. But she was not alone. It seemed like she had clones. All chasing towards Shailza. And within seconds, She was surrounded by hundreds of the skeletonic, devil women. She tried to reach me but she was alone..They all engulfed her in them..I stood there petrified, screaming her name! "Shailzaaaaaaaa!!!!!" But she was gone...I stood there aghast, watching them smiling to me, and beckoning me in their inhuman voices, Untill I saw Shailza again, emerging from the crowd. But she was changed. She was no more the girl I knew..Her skin was decayed, flesh melted exposing half of her skeleton, her brown beautiful eyes were missing, instead the hollowness of the socket stared at me and her face was charred, burnt and melted..She turned her face towards me and smiled...Her smile looked as evil as it can be. And then extended her hands again towards me - but not for help..I was choking again.. more she smiled, the more suffocated I felt. My vision went blurry, untill it was dark again..I was blacked out.