"What the hell are you even saying?" she asked aggressively.
Her voice echoed slightly through the apartment while rain continued crashing against the windows behind us. The storm outside had only gotten worse. Thunder rolled somewhere far away, low and dangerous, while the soft yellow lights inside her apartment flickered once for half a second.
I leaned back against the couch carefully, my injured shoulder throbbing with every small movement.
"You know..." I said quietly, staring down at the coffee mug in my hands, "there's something I wanted to tell you."
For some strange reason...
She was the only person I could trust right now.
Jennifer looked at me carefully for a moment before walking toward the sofa again. She sat down beside me, though she still kept a little distance between us.
Careful.
Guarded.
Like she wanted to trust me again but didn't know how.
I lifted the cup slowly and took another sip of coffee. It had already gone slightly cold.
"Have you heard the story about the Vaitarna River?" I asked.
Jennifer sighed immediately.
"The river every soul must cross after death to receive judgment?" she replied casually.
I nodded once.
"I know what you're trying to say already..." she continued before I could explain anything. "That Kishi Vaitarna thinks he's some kind of judge delivering justice and blah blah. Kunal, I literally researched both Kishi and Vaitarna already."
She folded her arms confidently.
"I know what the names mean."
"Hey, hey, stop!" I interrupted quickly.
She frowned in confusion.
"What now?"
I leaned forward slightly.
"I'm not talking about just the names."
The rain slammed harder against the glass.
I looked directly into her eyes.
"Vaitarna is about crossing, right?"
Jennifer stared at me for a second before nodding slowly.
"Hm."
I took another sip from the coffee before continuing.
"That means whoever Kishi is..." I said quietly, "he has an alliance."
Jennifer's expression changed slightly.
"What?"
"Someone's helping him."
The room suddenly felt quieter.
"He can't do all this alone..." I continued. "Think about it. Kishi and Vaitarna represent two completely different concepts."
Jennifer stayed silent now.
Listening properly.
"One destroys!" I explained slowly. "The other delivers judgment."
I placed the mug down onto the table carefully.
"Kishi tears the victim apart..." I continued. "But Vaitarna makes sure the victim reaches punishment."
Jennifer's eyebrows slowly pulled together.
"What are you trying to say?"
I looked at her directly.
"Someone inside our department is helping him."
The words settled heavily between us.
Outside, lightning flashed brightly across the apartment windows.
Jennifer blinked slowly.
"Why would you think that?"
"Because Kishi found Yash."
I immediately answered.
"Nobody outside the department knew Yash was under observation, right?"
Jennifer opened her mouth slightly before stopping herself.
"But that could still be someone else" she argued carefully. "Why Vishal?"
I rubbed my forehead tiredly with my good hand.
God.
Even saying this out loud sounded insane.
"Look..." I sighed. "This is going to sound childish."
"That's reassuring."
"When I went to Goregaon..." I continued, ignoring her comment, "I visited Vishal's old house."
Jennifer looked surprised instantly.
"You what?"
I nodded slowly.
Then I told her everything.
About Vishal's parents.
About the girl he loved when he was fifteen.
About the betrayal.
About how suddenly he left Goregaon afterward and never properly returned.
Jennifer listened quietly without interrupting this time.
"But..." she said after a pause, still confused, "how does that connect to Kishi?"
I looked toward the rain-covered windows for a second before answering.
"After the betrayal, he isolated himself."
Jennifer frowned slightly.
"And?"
"He started reading obsessively."
I looked back at her.
"Books. Stories. Fictional characters. Psychological folklore. Mythology."
Jennifer's expression slowly changed.
"He escaped into stories" I explained quietly. "Created second lives inside fictional worlds because he couldn't handle his real one anymore."
The room fell silent again.
"When I checked his old room..." I continued, "there was a bookshelf."
Jennifer leaned forward slightly now.
"And one book caught my attention immediately."
I paused.
"Tales of Esowon."
The moment I said the name, Jennifer froze slightly.
"That's impossible."
"It's the same book I found in Mahesh's studio..." I replied immediately.
Her eyes widened.
"And when I read it-" I continued quietly, "that's where I first learned about Kishi."
Thunder cracked loudly outside.
"And beside that book" I said slowly, "there was another one."
Jennifer stared at me carefully.
"A mythology book about the Vaitarna River."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Jennifer slowly leaned back against the couch, processing everything.
"It could still be a coincidence..." she whispered uncertainly.
I shook my head immediately.
"It doesn't feel like a coincidence anymore."
The words came out colder than I intended.
"It feels planned."
Jennifer stared at the floor for several seconds before finally nodding slightly.
"Hm..."
Then suddenly her expression changed.
That dangerous hacker expression again.
A slow mischievous smirk appeared on her face.
"If what you're saying is true..." she said slowly, "then hacking Kishi's Reddit becomes much easier."
I raised an eyebrow immediately.
"What exactly are you planning?"
She stood up from the sofa smoothly.
"Let's see..." she replied casually.
Suspicious woman.
I watched her walk toward her bedroom before speaking again.
"Wait."
Jennifer stopped near the hallway and looked back at me.
"You really don't let people sleep, do you?" she asked tiredly.
I smiled weakly for the first time.
Then slowly, I stood up and walked toward her.
The apartment suddenly felt smaller.
Quieter.
Closer.
I gently moved a few strands of wet hair behind her ear.
Her breathing paused slightly.
"So..." I asked quietly, "can't you stay with me tonight?"
Jennifer looked at me silently for a few seconds.
Then took one small step backward.
"You're rushing things again, Kunal-" she whispered softly. "Have some patience."
I let out a quiet sigh.
"Your choice after all."
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then suddenly she asked,
"So... you really never dated anyone all these years?"
I looked at her immediately.
"No."
A pause.
"Did you?"
Her expression changed instantly.
The softness disappeared.
"Yeah" she replied quietly. "One guy."
My jaw tightened immediately.
"Who?"
"Vihaan."
I shut my eyes briefly.
"Ugh. Fine."
I walked back toward the couch dramatically and sat down.
Jennifer almost laughed at my reaction.
"It wasn't like that" she explained softly. "My mom kept forcing me to date him."
I stayed quiet.
"So I tried" she continued. "But I never loved him."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"Not even once."
I slowly looked up at her again.
"And when he realized..." she whispered, "that my heart still waited for you..."
A painful smile appeared on her face.
"He left himself."
Silence.
I leaned back against the couch slowly.
"It's... okay-" I said quietly.
Jennifer stared at me for another few seconds before finally nodding.
"Goodnight then."
"Goodnight."
She disappeared toward her room.
A few moments later, I heard the door close softly.
The apartment became silent again except for the storm outside.
I opened my eyes slowly and stared at the ceiling.
"What even is this life..." I muttered to myself.
And somewhere between the sound of rain and exhaustion...
I fell asleep.
🥀🥀🥀
The next morning, sunlight mixed weakly with the grey storm clouds outside.
I woke up slowly to the smell of breakfast.
"Good morning."
Jennifer stood near the dining table holding two cups.
For a second, I forgot where I even was.
Then reality hit again.
Her apartment.
Right.
"Morning..." I muttered tiredly, rubbing my forehead.
The moment I touched it, a pain shot through my head.
"Damn..."
Jennifer frowned immediately.
"Headache?"
"My forehead feels like someone hit me with a brick."
"That makes sense because You drank vodka and coffee together and had blood loss yesterday.." she replied casually before handing me a water bottle.
"Go freshen up" she added. "I'll make breakfast."
I nodded slowly and walked toward the bathroom.
After showering, I stepped outside wearing the hoodie I had given her the previous night and one of her oversized pajamas.
I looked down at myself in horror.
"This looks ridiculously girly."
Jennifer burst out laughing immediately.
"You look cute."
"I look unemployed."
She laughed harder.
Hopeless woman.
"Come eat!" she said while placing hot parathas and juice onto the dining table.
I sat down quietly.
The first bite had barely entered my mouth when my phone suddenly rang loudly against the table.
Jennifer looked toward it immediately.
"Who is it?"
I picked up the phone.
Naveen.
Something about that instantly felt wrong.
I answered immediately.
"Yes, Naveen?"
"Sir..." his voice sounded shaky. Terrified. "Where are you?"
I straightened instantly.
Jennifer's expression changed the moment she noticed my face.
"What happened?" I asked sharply.
"Sir... do you remember the bartender from the club?"
My stomach dropped.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then-
"He was found dead."
The fork slipped from my hand onto the plate.
"What?"
Jennifer stood up instantly.
"He's at an under-construction building," Naveen continued quietly. "And sir..."
His voice lowered.
"Same procedure."
Coldness spreads through my chest instantly.
"Send me the location. Now."
I hung up immediately.
Jennifer looked pale now.
"What happened?"
"They found another body," I replied quickly while grabbing yesterday's blood-covered clothes from nearby.
"But not Yash."
I looked toward her.
"The bartender."
Jennifer grabbed her keys instantly.
"I'm driving."
🥀🥀🥀
The construction site smelled like wet cement, rust, and death.
Police tape moved violently in the morning wind while officers stood around uneasily whispering among themselves. The sky remained dark grey above us, threatening another storm.
The moment I stepped out of the jeep, multiple officers turned toward me.
Most of them stared at the dried blood covering my clothes.
Some looked disturbed.
Others looked suspicious.
Reasonable reaction honestly.
I approached Naveen immediately.
He crouched beside the body wearing gloves, carefully collecting samples into evidence bags.
"Hm?" I looked at him.
Naveen's face looked pale.
Disturbed.
Uneasy.
The dead body sat against a half-finished cement pillar.
Like someone had arranged him there intentionally.
The smell hit me instantly.
Acid.
Strong enough to burn my lungs.
"What happened?" I asked quietly.
Naveen stayed silent for a second before finally speaking.
"This time..." he whispered slowly, "the nails weren't just removed."
My jaw tightened.
Naveen looked toward the corpse.
"...his fingers were cut too."
A cold silence spread around us.
"And his eyes..." Naveen continued carefully, "they're badly damaged."
Jennifer covered her mouth slightly.
"Whoever did this..." Naveen said quietly, "sewed his mouth shut."
The wind howled through the unfinished building.
Nobody spoke.
Because suddenly...
The pattern had changed.