Aarushi and Randhir ran towards the parking lot.
"Bhai, meri gaadi kahan gayi?????" Aarushi shrieked. Randhir looked at her hopelessly.
"Toh tum saamne se mere ghar tak gaadi mein aayi thi?" He asked raising his eyebrows. Aarushi shrugged innocently.
"Itna paidal kaun chalta." She said. Randhir rolled his eyes.
"Spoilt Brat." Randhir shook his head. Aarushi glared at him.
"Kya bola tumne?" She asked irritated.
"Nahi kuch nahi...bas yeh hi ki tum bahut smart ho." Randhir lied. Aarushi looked relieved.
"Good. Tumhe meri pehchaan ho gayi ab." Aarushi nodded her head.
"Yup. Asli pehchaan toh ab hui hai." Randhir mentally snickered.
"Kya matlab?" Aarushi squinted her eyes at him.
"Kuch nahi! Chalo jaldi. Dekhte hai tumhari baat mein kitni sacchayi hai...Devaki ko ghar par hona chahiye. I think tum logon ko misunderstandings hui hai...Mujhe tumhe galat prove karna hai isliye mein aa raha hun." Randhir said confidently.
"Iski confidence ki ab mein dhajjiya udhaungi." Aarushi muttered under her breath.
"Ruko yahin ab...mein apni car nikalta hun." Randhir said walking into the garage. Aarushi called Amit. After a few rings, he picked up her call.
"Yes...?" Amit asked.
"Kya yes? Pagal insaan! Meri gaadi lekar tum dono bandar bhaag gaye?! Ab mujhe iss bandar ki gaadi mein aana padega" Aarushi snarled.
"Arrey....Woh mere aur Sumedh ki gaadiyan bahut andar parked thi...tumhari gaadi bahar parked thi aur chaabi bhi tum cabinet par chodhkar gayi thi...jaldbaazi mein meine jo gaadi ki chaabi saamne dekhi woh hi utha li...tum humare gaadi le lo na.." Amit suggested. Aarushi's face twisted.
"Tumhe jaldi hai...aur iss ghonchu ko nahi?!" She barked. "Apni gaadi lene gaya hai...now forget it....doesn't matter...tum log kahan tak pahunche?" Aarushi asked.
"Ummm....Mahalaxmi Racecourse." Amit replied. Aarushi rose her eyebrows.
"Bas?" Aarushi asked.
"Listen...hum Malabar Hill se aa rahe hai aur traffic bahut hai...what else would you expect?" Amit sighed.
"Amit?" Aarushi asked sweetly.
"Haan?" He replied.
"Tumhe aur Sumedh ko pata hai na ki tumhari wives khatre mein hai?!" Aarushi raised her voice suddenly. Amit flinched.
"Aarushi, shutup. Sab theek hoga. Kuch nahi hoga meri Mugdha ko." Amit said determinedly.
"Aur meri Veda ko!" Aarushi heard Sumedh shout in the background.
"Par mere Siddharth ko ho sakta hai. So bye. I need to save him. Tum logon jaise time waste nahi karna mujhe." Aarushi said.
"Aarushi, tum bhi Malabar Hill se hi aa rahi ho...tum toh humse bahut jaldi pahuch jaaogi na...even though you are leaving after us." Amit said sarcastically.
"Bye." Aarushi hung up the call.
Randhir came infront of her in his car. The sleek BMW parked itself infront of Aarushi. She quickly ran towards the backseat.
"Oye!" Randhir yelled as Aarushi slid into the back seat.
"Kya hai?" Aarushi asked irritated.
"Mein tumhara driver hun kya? Jo peeche jaakar tum beth gayi ho?" He asked with raised eyebrows. Aarushi gave him a sour expression. She got out of the back seat and came and sat ahead on the passenger seat. Randhir started the car. The engine roared to life. He started driving towards Sameeksha and Yudhveer's house in Lower Parel.
"Mumbai Central se lena...Race course par bahut traffic hai." Aarushi informed looking out of the window.
"Cool." Randhir replied. The car journey was so awkward.
"Tumhari aur Devaki ki shaadi ko kitna time hua hai?" Aarushi tried to break the ice finally. Randhir glanced at her in the rear view mirror.
"5 saal." Randhir replied. He took a pause. "Aur tumhe aur Siddharth ko?" He carefully asked.
"Dedh saal." Aarushi replied. Randhir cocked his eyebrows.
"Abhi bhi newly married hi ho phir..." Randhir laughed. Aarushi kept quiet. She didn't find his joke very entertaining. He cleared his throat.
"Waise...meine suna tha...you suffered a miscarriage, right? Sorry to hear that." He asked her earning a sharp look from Aarushi.
'Touché.' Aarushi thought. If he was sorry about hearing the news then why was he bringing it up. However, Aarushi just hummed in response.
"Waise...mein prove karne ke liye toh aa raha hun par mein tumhe Devaki se baat karwa hi deta hun abhi..." Randhir said picking up his phone.
"You're not allowed to use the phone while driving." Aarushi said folding her arms.
"My phone is connected to the car's Bluetooth." Randhir replied.
"Whatever..." Aarushi huffed.
Few rings rang. No one picked up. Aarushi smirked. Randhir grew tensed.
"Aap jis vyakti ko sampark karna chahte hai unka phone iss samay uplabd nahi hai...kripiya thode samay baad pryaas kariyega...the number you have dialled- " Randhir slammed his phone shut.
"Damnit!" He yelled in frustration.
He tried calling her again but in vain.
"Meine tumhe pehle hi kaha tha." Aarushi said. He looked at her worried.
"Aarushi...She is pregnant..." Randhir confessed in the heat of the moment. He couldn't hide it from her. He was very tensed. Aarushi's eyes widened in surprise.
"What?!" She exclaimed, sitting straight.
"Haan...hume 3 din pehle hi pata chala....just before I went underground." Randhir said grabbing his head.
"Jaldi karo phir, Randhir." Aarushi said urgently. Randhir drove through the roads efficiently.
**************
Devaki was sitting on top of the cupboard with her head down. Low grunts and growls were leaving her mouth. She started moving her head in circles, scaring everybody.
Siddharth, Vedanti, Mugdha, Sameeksha and Yudhveer stood together holding each other's hands. Sameeksha stuck by Yudhveer's side and he snaked his arms around her to secure her. Mugdha was shivering in fear. Vedanti was also scared but she didn't show it on her face. She gripped Mugdha's hand harder.
"Hume shaant rehna padega, Moo." Vedanti advised. Moo quietly nodded.
"Kya tum aaoge uss pedh ke neeche?" Devaki gravely sang a song. It was the creepiest thing that they had ever heard.
"Meri jaan latki hui hai uss pedh par...laash anek....woh bargadh ka pedh..." Devaki chuckled gravely. She was still looking down.
"Y-Yudhveer, mujhe bahut darr lag raha hai...Yeh kya k-kar rahi hai...?" Sameeksha stammered in Yudhveer's embrace. He pulled her closer.
"Shhh...Don't worry...I am there na, baby." Yudhveer hushed her quiet. She gulped down the saliva in her throat.
"Kyun aayi ho yaha? Aur tumhe kya chahiye humse?" Siddharth boldly asked her. He stood in front of everyone. He felt the need to guard them. Yudhveer also went and stood next to Siddharth with Sameeksha close behind him. They both still held their hands together.
"Mujhe kya chahiye?" Devaki innocently pretended to wonder. She stayed mum for a while. Everyone was waiting for her answer.
"MUJHE LAASH CHAHIYE!" She suddenly looked up. Everyone gasped. Tears started to fall out of Mugdha's and Sameeksha's eyes. Vedanti was frozen with fear. Siddharth and Yudhveer stood infront of all three of the females. They were also shocked looking at Devaki's face.
It was not normal.
It was far from normal.
Devaki's face was charred. Fresh blood dropped from all the scars on her face. Her face was burnt. Not only her face. Her hands and feet everything was burnt and black. In place of eyes, were two discs of pure black balls. Vedanti started shaking. This time Moo grabbed her hand tightly.
Devaki growled violently. She snapped her jaws as if trying to bite off something. Everyone staggered back.
Suddenly, the door bell rang. Everyone looked in the direction of the gate. Devaki raised her hand and the door flew open. Amit and Sumedh stumbled in.
"Veda??" Sumedh looked at her questionably. Then his gaze fell on Devaki sitting on top of the cupboard. Amit, too, followed his gaze. Their hearts sank at the sight. They ran and stood next to everyone.
"Arrey wahhh!" Devaki slurred. "Mere teen shikaro mein se do toh abhi se mere paas aa gaye. Mera kaam asaan kar diya tum dono ne. Shreeman Amit Pandit Ji aur Shreeman Sumedh Mudgalkar ji. Aap dono ki...aur woh ladki...Aarushi...bahut izzat karti thi mein...meine bhi vote daalkar tumhari sarkaar khadi karne mein madad ki thi...par mujhe mila kya?" Devaki hissed.
Suddenly, another figure ran inside the house.
"Humara ghar guest house ban gaya hai kya?" Sameeksha muttered. Fear makes you utterly stupid.
"Devaki!" Randhir yelped. "Devaki, jaan, niche utro..." Randhir tried to coax her. He then noticed her condition.
"What the holy f*ck?!" Randhir shouted. "Yeh kya hulia bana rakha hai apna, Devaki?"
"Hat jaa mere raaste se, Saadharan manushya. Mere karya mein taang mat ada!" Devaki raised her voice. Suddenly, a searing pain shot through Randhir's back and he fell down surrendering to Devaki.
"Devaki, meri jaan! I MISSED you!" A familiar voice shouted. Aarushi strolled inside the house carelessly. Everyone gaped at her.
"Aaru, are you drunk?" Siddharth asked. Aarushi looked at him. She was normal.
"What? No. Meri gaadi koi le gaya tha isliye mein thodi gussa hun." Aarushi shot daggers at Amit and Sumedh. She was not feeling scared. It was strange. Even though she had the mark on the back, fear always used to grip her in such situations. Her last encounter with Devaki had not turned out well. She was scared last time. However, today she seemed different. She didn't seem to care.
Devaki started laughing evilly.
"Mera din acha hai aaj. Mere teeno shikaar mere saamne hai." She chuckled gravely. Aarushi cocked her eyebrows. Randhir was watching this intently. He was scared. Devaki was behaving abnormally. He was more worried about their baby. He couldn't let anything bad happen to them.
Aarushi casually went and flopped down on the sofa placing her legs on the sofa handles. Devaki looked at her.
"Tujhe mujhse darr nahi lag raha, ladki?" Devaki became serious.
"Hatt na...tujhse kaun darega...bhootni world ki Drama Queen lag rahi hai tu." Aarushi laughed. "Tujhse darre meri jooti."
Everyone looked at her horrified.
"Yeh toh gayi kaam se ab." Sumedh mumbled. Siddharth looked at Aarushi with shock. He walked over to her carefully. He grabbed her arms and pulled her up on her feet.
"Tum kya bakwaas kar rahi ho?????" Siddharth asked her with widened eyes. Aarushi pouted.
"Kya yaar tum isse dar rahe ho?" Aarushi chuckled. "Chote bacche bhi na darre isse."
Everyone closed their eyes.
Devaki disappeared from the top of the cupboard. Aarushi 's confidence crumpled.
"Shit." She muttered under her breath. "Kahan gayi?"
Aarushi turned her head towards her right and her eyes widened. She got a mini-heart attack. Devaki was standing very close to her and staring at her, studying her very closely. Siddharth caught Aarushi's hand and pulled her close.
"Kahin aur jao tum. Hum sab se door." Siddharth shouted. Devaki's gaze fell upon Siddharth.
"Yeh chuha kabse apna muh kholne laga?" Devaki asked. Aarushi started laughing.
"Mein tumse iss baat par sehmat hun." Aarushi laughed. Siddharth felt offended. He jerked his hand away from Aarushi and went and stood next to everyone else. They looked at him as if he had grown two heads or something.
"Aye Ladki, kaichi ki tarah teri zubaan chalti hai." Devaki sternly said. Aarushi gave her a bored expression.
"Bachpan se." Aarushi grinned. "Ab tumhare jaise amma ki tarah bhoot bani firti toh usse life mein kya masala hota?" Aarushi explained. Anger rained down in Devaki's eyes.
She was about to grab Aarushi's throat but a force field sparked her hand. She hastily withdrew her hand and screamed.
"Yeh kya tha????" Devaki asked horrified. Aarushi was also looking confused.
"Mujhse kya pooch rahi ho? Bhootni toh tum ho! Apne sawaal ka jawab mujhe do!" Aarushi accused. Devaki did a double take.
Suddenly, Devaki became violent. She held her hands up in the air and all the crockery from the cabinet flew towards all of them. Everyone ducked down to prevent being hit by the crockery. Something sparked in Aarushi's mind. Even she raised her hands in the air. The crockery stopped moving and was hanging in mid air. Everything was still. No one moved. There was no sound. Just the slow ticking of the Grandfather's Clock which stood nearby. It was 12:45 a.m.
Devaki became frustrated. She started slapping herself. Aarushi slowly concentrated and the crockery gently went back inside the cabinet.
Devaki grabbed a knife from the dining table. Everyone became alarmed. Aarushi remembered her dream and shuddered. Randhir ran towards Devaki. Aarushi removed something from her bag hurriedly.
She held the 'sphatic mala' in her hands and showed it to Devaki. She immediately calmed down looking at the mala. Randhir held Devaki in his arms and smashed his lips against hers. He didn't care about her appearance. He just wanted his Devaki back. The one he loved. The one he was married to. The one who was going to become the mother to his child. His Devaki. His High School sweetheart.
Everyone looked at the two of them. They couldn't comprehend the situation. Aarushi was dazed. Her eyes began to drop. There, in Randhir's arms, Devaki, too, became dizzy. Her normal skin colour returned. She was back to normal. Her knees went weak.
And together, both Aarushi and Devaki sank down on the ground with their eyes closed.
Author's Note:
Heyya guys,
So...I had been receiving many messages that my story was really making you all scared. I read somewhere that people would end up crying out of fear.
So in today's update, I tried to dilute the grievous scenes by adding a little humour. I hope I didn't ruin it.
Do give me feedback. I really need to know how this story is going so far.
Keep showering your awesome blossom love by commenting, sharing and smashing the star ☆ button below.
Loads of AmaZAYN love,
Zayn Malik Ki Awesome wali Mallika❤