Sush...(completed)

10

"What are we doing here Shailza?" I asked, clearly terrified and disappointed by her decision. Any normal man would first succumb to a heart attack if all these things happened to him whatever was happening to me. At first this girl tells you that there was some spirit crawling over me, and then she was able to see them and then it was sitting on my shoulder! Never in my life I would have believed these things, but after whatever has happened to me - the black sillhoutte, the nightmares, the chokings, everything, I was more into believing these things. After whatever she told me in the hotel room, my initial reaction was - "Huh, dont joke with me." But Shailza had the same deadpan face until I began to feel weaker, and tired. I began to feel to cold and suffocated. But it was only for a short span. After I gained normalcy, Shailza suggested me to visit the site again, and this time in the dead hour of night. 

"Amaan, we need to find out what is wrong with the site! We have to go there. We have to talk to them !" She said..

"EEee, pagal aurat, mereko nahi jaana!"

"Dont be a fattu. They wont leave you Amaan! Understand that.."  Her words weighed on me...

And then there we were. On the site, past midnight.  I felt like I was a dead civillization, with nothing but Ravens flying above me. The rancid smell all over the place which seems to be missing all day, suffocated me. And yes, Shailza was right, the air around me, it was different. It was filthy. And I could feel it. The only difference was this time, I could feel the presence of many. Earlier it was only one, which was troubling me..But then, I felt like they were coming from everywhere. I shuddered. My limbs went cold, but it was then supported by the warmth of Shailza's hands. She stood beside me. Her face was unreadable. But she was stoic. 

"Amaan, this is the only chance..Don't run..Remember, its all in your head. Spirits can create illusions, because they themselves can't take up a steady figure. They can make you do your harm,  but they cant kill you. And dont make your body a vessel. Don't allow it to touch you, or it may take your possession.." Shailza warned.

"What! You are asking me not to run, and then you are scaring me by telling that they can possess me!"

"Yes. They can. Human bodies are like vessel to them. Be more than necessarily vulnerable and you will be possessed."

"And what will happen if I get possessed?" I asked shakily. Shailza pressed my hand gently. 

"It's not like the movies. But yes, your body immunity will try to fight the external invader..You will feel nauseating and the poison effect may happen..You may freeze or pass out and then everything is on the medical science.."

"STOP DOING THIS SHAILZA! STOP SCARING ME!" I shouted. 

"Ok. Sushhhh... I can feel it. Its coming." She whispered. 

The temperatured dropped..And the same noise, the whispers started haunting me again! 

"come to me...i beckon you.." 

And then I saw her again..The lady in black - She was standing few hands away from me. Taking her momentum, staring right into me with hollow eyes. Only this time, she was not smiling or laughing. She was crying..And the cry echoed throughout the place, in my head and my ears. The neck choked. But Shailza was holding me tight, I couldn't run, or walk back. I heaved heavily..Shailza kept rubbing my back .."I am here with you. I can see her too..Dont worry." 

And then all of sudden, she chased me. She wasn't really running or walking. As if she was floating in the air. And the more she neared me, I felt sharp pain in my back. As if some one was jabbing a knife on my back ..I wailed in pain . The more near she was, more the pain I felt. As i was being tortured by a whip, and then stabbed by a knife...

"Shailza, look at my back..ahhhh! Am i..Am i bleeding?" I asked hastily..

"No Amaan ,you are not bleeding! Shailza cried out.

"Then why the hell is it paining so much!" 

And then she finally came in front of me..The face, the charred face was terrifying..The black net veil she wore, didn't conceal her face. Her hands were skeletonic, with no flesh at all. As she held her hands up, Shailza came between us..At first there was a demonic scream from her at Shailza. But then everything went silent..I was on my knees due to the immense pain. I saw Shailza looking at it. As if they were communicating something silently. The pain was excruciating and I don't remember when I blacked out. When I gained sense, I was seated in my car parked outside the site. Shailza was beside me. And she was sobbing. 

"Wh..What happened..?" I said softly.. I realised I was shirtless when I saw my white shirt in her hands. I immediately placed my hands on my back to feel the bruises and scars, - and it was there. I felt it by touch. It was burning. But I also understood, the scars were not simply scars, they were writing..

"I am sorry Amaan, you have to go throug all these.." She sniffed.

"Is it some sort of writing? The scars in my back?" 

Shailza nodded.."But you said I wasn't bleeding!" I replied.

"Ghost scars are different. In bengali they are called bhooter achor. They are trying to give us a clue..But we can't completely understand what they say, because we are amateurs. We don't have the technicalities nor the experience of doing so.." She said..

"What is it written on my back?" I asked, still going over the scars with my fingers, unable to read them..

"Here, give your phone and turn around, let me click a picture.." 

When I saw the photo, it clearly was inscribed on my back "HELP US!" 

They required our help. But the question was what help?

"So do you know someone who can help us?" I asked. "And also I need medical attention."

"Yes you need so. And yes I know someone who can help us." She replied.

"Who is it?" I asked.

Shailza looked at me and smiled. I knew her answer.