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Chapter 14 - “A Journey Toward Death”

"Hello, who is this?"

"Alka, it's Vijay speaking."

"Sorry, wrong number."

Saying this, Alka hangs up the phone.

Vijay calls again, but this time Alka doesn't answer.

He keeps calling—20 to 25 times continuously—but Alka doesn't pick up. She just sits on the sofa, staring blankly at the ringing phone.

Meanwhile, Vijay keeps trying when suddenly Vikas comes from behind and places a hand on his shoulder.

"What happened, man? Who are you calling so many times? If they're not picking up, just leave it."

"How can I leave it? I'm calling Alka.

She had asked me so many times that she wanted to come to Kolkata too. I had even said yes… but then I thought—whoever is playing this deadly game with us might try to take revenge through Alka. So I left for Kolkata with you guys without telling her."

"I think she's very angry because of this… otherwise she always picks up my call on the first ring.

She must be really hurt…"

"Hey, it's okay. You're thinking for her good, right?

When we return, just explain it to her with love—she'll understand.

But right now, the car has overheated. We need water. Go arrange some."

"Why? There's no water in the car?"

"No… I forgot to keep it."

"You and your carelessness… fine. You stay here. Ajay and I will go get water."

Vijay and Ajay go into the forest to find water, leaving Vikas alone.

Vikas opens the car trunk to throw out some garbage, but suddenly the trunk slams down on him.

When he tries to lift it, it feels as if someone is pressing it down tightly.

After struggling for a while, he somehow manages to free his head.

Breathing heavily, he looks around—but no one is there.

Fear grips him.

He quickly gets inside the car. But the moment he sits, fire erupts all around the car.

Smoke fills the inside, and Vikas begins to suffocate.

He tries desperately to break the windows—first the side, then the front—but nothing works.

Just when he feels death is near, Vijay and Ajay return with water.

As Vikas sees them outside, the fire slowly begins to die down.

Within seconds, the flames and smoke completely disappear.

The car door opens on its own.

Vijay and Ajay say,

"Hey idiot, what are you doing inside? Here, we brought water. Go pour it."

As soon as the door opens, Vikas rushes out, panting heavily.

"Now I have absolutely no doubt—this is all being done by a spirit."

"What do you mean? And why are you breathing like that?"

Vikas narrates everything that just happened in detail.

"Now do you understand what I meant?

I thought at the farmhouse someone used tricks to scare us since it was so big… but how can someone do that here?"

"Now even I feel those two spirits are behind all this.

If they know we're going to Kolkata, they might do anything to stop us."

"But Vijay, there's one thing I don't understand."

"What?"

"If they're spirits and so powerful that they can appear anywhere, anytime… why are they killing us one by one?

At Ajay's farmhouse, we were all together. If they wanted, they could have killed all of us at once. Then why take so much time?"

"Because they want revenge—with full satisfaction.

They don't just want to kill us… they want to see the fear of death in our eyes first.

Only after watching us suffer will they feel peace."

"No matter what happens now—we must not be afraid.

Even if we feel fear, we must not show it on our faces.

No matter what they do, they won't take our lives."

"The idea is good… but how do we not feel scared?

The moment we see them, we lose our senses."

"Let them do whatever tricks they want.

If we want to survive, we'll have to act like we're not afraid."

"Alright… let's go."

The three of them sit in the car and resume their journey to Kolkata.

Meanwhile, Alka's anger keeps growing with time.

She gets up from the sofa, goes to the kitchen, lights a coal stove, and lets it heat up.

Then she brings it and places it in front of Ravi.

Seeing it, Ravi starts screaming loudly,

"Help! Help! Someone please help me!"

Alka says calmly,

"My house is far from any populated area. No one will hear your voice.

So don't waste your energy screaming… okay?"

"What do you want? I'll bring you anything you ask for… please let me go."

"Ah… sorry."

Seeing the burning stove, Ravi's heart races. He thinks Alka will burn his leg again…

But instead, Alka comes back from the kitchen with a plate of food…

and starts feeding him with her own hands.

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