❝ Keep quiet. I am talking to my demons. ❞

two || ❛ grins, shivers and fear ❜

Devika

THE RUSTIC LATCH WHIMPERS, hitting itself against the door, as I try to loosen its hold.

Trying for the last time, I slump onto the floor and lean against the wall, taking in a deep breath.

Can my day get any worse? A heartbreak first, and now, this – locked inside a cage of a house.

Can I scream and ask someone to help us?

But it's already evening and all the employees would have gone home. Plus, I have no idea about the timings of the second security guard.

So that means it's just Yash and I in the building right now.

I feel so weird, like... like I'm trapped in a dark cage. I feel like I have walked into a trap laid out for me by the hunter.

But, who is the hunter? Yash? No, not him. He is also stuck with me.

"Don't disregard the first answer that comes to your mind," Yash grins, catching me off guard, "to a complex question. It is often the right answer,"

His grin is really creepy. And scary.

It makes me want to run for my life. I wrap my arms around myself, watching him cautiously.

Mustering some courage, I finally manage to ask, "What do you mean?"

He strides to me and kneels, leaning in closely, "Figure. It. Out." He chuckles, a smirk forming on his lips as he moves back to the table and lifts the tray of empty bowls.

I watch as he walks back from the kitchen, to his sofa looking unpleasantly calm and dangerous. The corner of his lips curve into a grim smile immediately turning into a frown.

"Stop staring at me." He commands harshly and I tear my gaze away, staring at the mosaic pattern of the ground. It is a headache to look at.

He rises, again, walking into his room and I drag myself towards the telephone. Just one call and I'll be out of here.

I had barely made it to the threshold of his room, when he steps out and I freeze.

Strangled by a strong wave of gooseflesh, I stay on the ground, scared and frozen. My heart thumps wildly in my chest and my palms get sweaty. I feel my pulse beating against the floor.

Sitting back, I take a deep breath and lift my head slowly to look at him. What is he going to do?

He... cackles, as he usually does and walks away to the sofa.

That's it?! What was his scary and evil aura about then? Was I just imagining things?

Pulling myself against a wall, I sit on the sofa and turn on the television, switching over to the news channel to distract myself:

" ... killed him without any mercy. The state government has ordered an immediate shutdown of two weeks until the culprit is caught.

Emergency services will be open to all public. Residents are requested to lock their doors and windows securely... "

I want to hit my head against the wall so bad. So much for some peace.

Leaning into the sofa, I sigh.

Great. Just great! Now I have to stay in here for two weeks. How bloody wonderful! I don't want to stay here with him. Forget two weeks, I don't even want to spend the night here.

Anyways, as long as I'm safe from that murderer, I'll be fine with anything. So I guess, this will do. Only for a while.

Would that killer manage to break into this house? There are so many grills here; windows to door, everything is protected. Caged.

"Why are you smiling? Someone died, you know." Yash mutes the channel, which was broadcasting the news of a celebrity couple caught in public, the usual TRP builders.

Why am I smiling?

"Hello?" He waves his hand in front of my face, trying to catch my attention.

Why the hell am I smiling?! What was I thinking about?

"I am not smiling at his death." I reply.

"Then?"

"I was thinking about..."

Ugh! What was it? Was I thinking about the grills?

Unsure, I shoot a reply, "I was just wondering that if the murderer decides to come to this apartment then, they are in for a disappointment. There are grills everywhere, which makes it hard for them to get in easily."

"And equally hard for them to get out. But they'll be fine, as long as they are not alone." He says, his tone dark and mysterious.

What is that supposed to mean?

A small and crooked smile forms on his lips. "What if the killer is already present in the house?"

I freeze, pursing my lips.

"One must not be too sure of anything. There is no telling what might happen at any moment." He continues, a creepy grin spreading over his face.

I feel a sharp tingle of fear running down my spine and his ghastly expressions only made me wriggle in fright.

"If the killer gets into any of these houses, there is no escape. As you rightly mention," he grins, walking to his room, "there are grills everywhere."

Saying thus, he disappears into his room, just like a shadow disappears in the absence of light.

My heart beats frantically against my chest. Calm down Devika! He is just messing with you. Don't, don't listen to him.

I need to divert my mind.

Anika. Yes. I need to call Anika and check on her. I hope she reached the hospital safely. Now, where did I place my phone?

Jumping off the sofa, I search my bag. Strangely, no luck. I check her room, and again, no luck.

Where has my phone gone? Who the hell kidnapped it?

Scratching my head, I force myself to his room. "Have you seen my phone?"

He looks up, placing a finger in the book to hold his page and stares blankly at me for a while before answering. "You won't find your phone. Anika took it with her. She even cut the telephone wire. You, have no means of communication to the world outside."

I blink, unable to believe the fact. Anika took my phone? No, he's lying! She wouldn't do that. Ever.

I trust her.

Snapping my neck towards the telephone, I peer down at its wire.

What. The. Hell!

The wire had been cut into two. Not only that, the brass wires had been damaged to the extent that I couldn't even tie them together, and the other half was missing.

He wasn't lying.

"If you saw her take my phone, why didn't you stop her?"

"I tried," He shrugs, turning back to his book.

Like I'm going to believe that.

"Really?" I raise my voice, leaning against the frame of the door. Placing his book down, he looks at me, staring blankly for a longer while.

Slowly, the corners of his lips move up, curving into a small smile. But he didn't stop there. The smile, soon, turned into an evil grin and his eyes turned red. I shivered. And unlike before, the intensity of his grin and my shiver were stronger.

"I like to watch my prey struggling to live. I don't want my prey to have everything easily. There is no fun if it doesn't struggle."

His prey? It? What is he saying? Did he even hear himself?

I watch as he lifts the book, flipping a few pages back and smiles proudly.

Oh! Those were the lines of the book. Sighing in relief, I sit before the telephone and stare the hanging wires. There is no way I can fix this.

I am trapped for the next two weeks!

I rub my arms. Why am I shivering? Has the temperature gone down? Or is it because I'm scared?

I feel as though I am surrounded by predators on all sides and even luck didn't want to side with me.

That simple heartbreak would have been easier to bear. I don't understand this flip in my usual life. I feel lost. I feel like I'm walking down a path covered in nothing but darkness.

Will I make it out alive?

* * *

Handing a set of chains and two locks, Yash walks over to the kitchen and slams the door shut after placing all the sharp objects inside. The slam echoes, dying gracefully.

"What is this for?" I ask, staring at them. Ignoring me, he snatches a lock, locking the kitchen. Walking back, he pushes two water bottles in my already full hands and as a result, the chains and the lock fall. The metallic rhythm chimes out, into a long undying sting.

"Don't open the kitchen until tomorrow morning." He instructs, while I stare at the lock that landed a few inches away from my toes.

"Use these to lock my door."

Snapping my neck towards him, I observe his expressions, trying to figure out if this was a joke, "Why?"

"It isn't fun when my monster gets everything easily. I want him to struggle for it."

He is creeping me out.

"Are you imitating some scene from the book you were reading earlier?"

Instead of answering, he walks into the room and slams it shut, locking it from inside. I'll take that as a yes. Or maybe a no. And I really wish he would stop slamming the doors.

"Have you locked it?" Yash screams, startling me. Dropping the bottles, I lift the chains and lock and securely lock the door.

"Did you?"

"Huh... yeah."

Picking the bottles, I make my way to the bed, only to hear a manical laugh erupting from his room. The laugh falls as quickly as it rose, and I curiously press my ear against his door.

Pitch silence.

"If you wish to see the light of the day, don't fall asleep." He whispers against the door making me fall back, hands on my heart and mouth wide open.

What the hell!

Collecting myself, and the bottles, I bolt into Anika's room.

This man is a total nutcrack.

Annoying, irritating and all the synonyms of those words.

Placing the bottles on the shelf, I sit back on the bed, watching the night through the window.

There are a few houses in front of my eyes, but, all empty. If I scream for help, no one would hear me or even worse, see me. The night here was dark, like its dangerous and unlit streets.

A dog howls in its darkness, and I jump under the sheets, covering my ears to keep it out. Shutting my eyes, I wait for sleep.

If you wish to see the light of the day, don't fall asleep; his words ring and I sit up on the bed, irritated and uncomfortable.

Wiping the traces of sweat, I hold my head in my hands and breathe through my mouth.

This place is so suffocating.

A familiar chill passes down my spine, making the hair on my arms stand and I gulp. I feel like I am being watched.

Turning my head slowly, I glance at the sofa. A figure.

There appears to be a figure sitting on it, breathing and smiling in murder.

Who is that?

Yash is locked in his room and I'm here. Who is this third person I see?

Sliding down the bed, I walk out of the room after grabbing the closest weapon – a bottle. Gripping it tightly with one hand, I search for the light switches. The person sits still, unfazed by my presence. The smooth plastic comes in contact with my fingers and I flip the switch on.

No one. There is no one here. I guess I was just imagining things.

Turning off the light, I turn to enter my room when a giggle in the softest of whispers passes against my ears. The breeze, carrying the strong scent of blood, hits my neck, almost like a person breathing down my neck. Afraid, I dash into the room and lock the door, diving under the sheets.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I shiver, pulling the blanket close.

Panic grips my heart and a strong hand clamps my mouth, allowing me to breathe only at its will. A whistle sounds as I take in a deep breath and my body trembles.

Breathe, you idiot! Calm the hell down. You'll make it out alive.

He is... he's just playing around. Don't take him seriously.

The breeze slithers its way into the room, gliding over me. The touch was cold, colder than ice, making me stiffen up.

It was a warm night, and yet I found myself in shivers.