Danger Dead Ahead

Two

Bad things happened when the moon was full. It was something his grandmother used to say. Not that he ever believed her stories, but some fears were instinctive. Maalik Khan didn't appreciate the lateness of the hour and sure didn't like that Meena wanted to meet in the woods. It didn't matter that it was a few minutes walk from her workplace.

These woods might not be conventionally dense, and hotels were on all three sides within walking distance, yet the silence of autumn nights chilled him. The shadows cast by moonlight behind tall trees and thick shrubs made him look for monsters in every corner.

He would've refused if Meena hadn't sounded desperate. Whatever she needed to discuss, she made it sound urgent. Besides, she grew up listening to the same stories.

Everyone in the Chitral Valley knew to avoid dark, secluded places, especially on full moon nights. Too many accidents and untimely deaths haunted the region—all explained away by the authorities, but stories circulated among the natives.

If she could brave the woods, so could he, but it didn't mean he would enjoy it.

Damn Meena, for insisting on meeting after midnight. He thought uncharitably. And why now when he had already decided to leave? As he saw it, there was nothing left for him there. His family moved away years ago, but the mystery of his sister's death forced him to return. After two months of unfruitful investigation, he was ready to give up. His parents still believed a mythical creature, Barmanou, killed Mahi, though he knew better. Only humans could be as cruel as Mahi's murderer had been because he didn't just take a life but destroyed his family in the process.

The air hung heavy with the smell of decaying foliage, and the breeze played with his messy hair, but he was beyond caring. The rustling of the leaves and his muffled footsteps on the damp ground were the only sounds stirring nature's calm, accompanied by a crunch of broken twigs under his booted feet now and then. At least darkness wasn't among his many worries. Street lamps lit the dirt and sometimes gravel pathways to prevent guests from wandering lost in the woods.

During the summers, people enjoyed late-night walks, but colder weather prevented them in the autumn. There wouldn't be many tourists around this time of the year anyway.

Maalik quickened his pace when he saw a silhouette in the distance. Assuming it was Meena, he walked briskly. But before he could call out or reach her, a shriek broke the peaceful silence of the night, and time stood still.

It had been a raw and agonizing plea for release from some unseen torment that seemed to have come from all directions. The note of desperation in it made his skin prickle and clawed at his senses. And it had been close—maybe just around the corner, where he was to meet Meena.

Dumbfounded, as his heart raced, he watched the person he had spotted earlier running away from him, probably toward the sound. He, on the other hand, couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Unseen walls closed in on him. Years of training and one pain-filled scream brought him to his knees. Who was he kidding? He was no investigator and only a brother unable to live in peace after losing his only sibling.

Dread filled his heart, and he knew the things his grandmother warned him against were the truth. What else would make someone scream in such an inhuman way? As if their soul was being ripped apart.

He wasn't a big believer in god and had never prayed before, but he did then. Let it not be Meena, anyone but his friend and confidant. Was he selfish to have such a thought? Maybe, but he didn't care because losing one of the closest persons he had after family wasn't on his agenda for tonight. The weight of the guilt alone would be enough to bury him alive.

No one knew how much time elapsed until his feet finally cooperated with him, and he walked toward whatever horror awaited him. "Not her. Please, god, not Meena," he muttered.