Rajveer-Naina Horror Hours

Story 3 : THE NIGHTFALL

At the bank of a silent and still river stands Yudi in his duffle jacket and pair of jeans. The frigid climate of this place is unbearable, yet there appears not a single line on Yudi's chisled face that would be a testimony of the same. Yudi's face expression mirrors the state of the river - if said so, it won't be a hyperbole!

The thick layer of fog rests calmly on the upper half of the trees hence making the trees partially visible. The colour of the sky is a shade of blue-green and black, hence dark! The nightfall has started suiting Yudi only recently. The depth and stillness of the night matches his vibe - the vibe that he has cloaked since last one week.

She said she would come to meet him here but only on a condition that he is allowed to get a glimpse of her from a certain distance. How much distance - the idea of it is still alien to Yudi. The thought of her presence in front of his eyes is reason enough to accept any clause set by her.

The dream was so vivid! She was there right in front of his eyes. After a week of mourning over the loss and realising by the end of the week that he not today; not tomorrow or any day thereafter would be courageous enough to lead his life without her, made him to cry hard for god knows how many times! He cried himself to sleep too that night.

He was transported to an entirely different world, a place he was absolutely unfamiliar with before that moment. He turned all around with a hope of getting the hint of presence of any other creature, let alone human. But luck might not be favouring him that day that he ended up realising that how hard might he try but won't succeed in finding anyone there.

Why was he there at the first place?

It was bone chilling weather there and he was not even wearing a full sleeved shirt, quivering. The level of the temperature was proof enough to tell him that he was somewhere beyond the surface of Earth's crust because it is not a temperature fit for a human being to survive.

In his state of horror, when blood was rushing to his iced ears, a sound - that could provide him relief to some extent as it would be a proof of the presence of someone there, missed to hit his eardrums. He shouted -

"Anyone's there?"

His voice broke, thanks to the temperature and his level of fear. He trembled profusely more by the thought of lack of help of any sort than by the temperature of the place.

His life had surely turned upside down. The nightfall of his life seemed to be far stretched with apparently not a single ray of hope sighted anywhere around the parameter or beyond it.

"Ma...in... ma..in... kahan hoon?",

Yudi began to sweat out of fear, constantly looking here and there.

He wrapped his arms around himself. His eyes wide opened, not wanting to miss any movement what so ever that he might witness any moment.

"Bhai!"

Yudi freezed to his spot upon hearing her faint voice. No! This cannot be real! This is one of his hallucinations he is having off late. He turned around in horror but discovered no one. He knitted his brows in confusion.

"Neelu?!",

he called her out in desperation.

"Haan Bhai main tumhare paas hi hoon. Tumhare saamne.",

replied Neelu, her voice reflected her emotion of sadness and happiness mingled.

"Ka...han... Neelu? Ma...in... ma...in... tumhe dekh nahi pa raha!",