❝ The common mortal might be scared to kill but for me, it sends a wave of thrill down every inch of my body. ❞

three || ❛ secrets and pain ❜

Devika

I. AM. SO. EXCITED! This is my first night at Anika's place.

Scratch that. This is my first night at a friend's place making it, in a way, a sleepover.

My first real sleepover!

I turn, throwing the heavy blanket off to a side. The ticking clock and whistling wind play around in the room as I lie still, just breathing. A knot twists in my stomach, a jittery feeling knocking it out.

This is so calming. Closing my eyes, I rest my hands on my stomach and focus on my surroundings. The sounds. The scents.

Tic, in. Toc, out.

I breathe in the silence and cold breeze. It feels so refreshing. The heat of happiness warms my heart, making me forget about my illusionary fears.

With each breath, my body sinks into the mattress, feeling lighter and lighter with every passing second. My mind discards all thoughts and I begin to feel numb. In a rather pleasant way.

Is this what people call a state of bliss?

The silence stays, the clock ticks, and my heart beats.

Tic, in. Toc, out. I repeat, silence ringing in my ears. A numb tingle spreads through my body, starting from my fingers and slithers down to my toes.

Peace fills me, driving away the fears I had a few moments back. I feel so happy.

-ng!

I sit up on the bed, feeling weak and detached, my strength lagging behind.

Bang!

Startled, I slightly jump on the bed. What is wrong with that man? Why is he being so noisy?

Thud!

Groaning, I step down from the bed and shuffle my way to the door. Unlocking it swiftly, I stand in front of the door to his room, the key wrapped in my palm.

The lock moves slightly, reeling in the after effects of the shock. Kneeling, I hold it in my hand, fumbling with the key in the dark.

The key had barely slid in when he roared in laughter. A laugh so frightening that it made me freeze and drop the lock.

"Open up! Open up!" He cackles. "I'm going to kill you tonight."

"Open up! Open up!" He repeats, his wild laughter echoing throughout the house. "This is going to be your last night."

Bang!

The chains rattle and the lock hits against the wood of the door. I fall back. A hard lump forms in my throat, and my palms get sweaty threatening to drop the key.

They - door, lock and chains - sound again, making me shrivel.

It sounds like a beast, living on the other side of the door, is trying to break free from captivity. I'm scared.

Bang!

It sounds again, louder and stronger than before and I jump, dashing into the room. Bolting the door, I slump again the door and curl up.

Why is this happening to me? I want to go home so badly.

Holding myself tightly against the door, I count.

Thud!

One.
Two.
Three.
Silence.

And it repeats in a minute.

Is he even fine? He's going to end up getting hurt this way.

Screw it. Why should I care for him?

Crawling to the bed, I reach for the blanket and wrap it around myself, feeling safe. A childish safety and a comforting warmth.

I stare at the partially open window. Making my way to it, I push it open and a gust of wind slaps me on the face. My eyes travel along the landscape - buildings and trees of various heights stand proudly, draped by the night life. There were no lights. No colours.

Just the night. Devoid of stars and clouds. Pitch darkness, to the point of blindness.

To add to my miseries, the fan stops with a loud chatter. A power cut.

What. A. Timing!

Blankly, I continue to stare at the window, into a vast abyss of darkness. I raise my hand, moving my fingers just to acknowledge their physical presence in the darkness. It was hard to tell if it was my eyes that were closed, or if it was just the dark.

Thud!

One.
Two.
Three.
Silence.

When will he stop?

I wait, counting to sixty. Silence. Dangerous silence looms over. There was no repeat. Was I too fast in counting? Did he tire down? Or what if...

No. No negative thoughts, Devika.

Standing up, I falter to the ground and knock down the bottles from the stand. They roll down, rocking back and forth, the sound of water bringing back life. The purplish hue of the bottles blush on the ground, adorning the tiles.

Wait a second! Purplish hue? I can see the colour?! Turning towards the window, I peer at the sky. A faint shade of light blue and orange paints over.

It's dawn!

My vision begins to blur, tears rolling down my cheeks as I yawn and stretch myself out on the floor.

If you wish to see the light of the day, don't fall asleep, his words ring again.

"Need to..." I yawn, rubbing my eyes. "Stay..."

* * *

"-ika!"

I sit up on the floor, my heart racing in fear at my sudden movement. Rubbing my arms, I crawl towards the blanket and wrap it around myself.

Warm and comfortable, my eyelids shut casually as I lay down on the floor. I'm still sleepy.

"Devika!" He screams and I force myself up, almost hitting my head on the edge of the bed. My body aches in exhaustion.

"Open the damn door." He orders, his tone making me jump to my feet. The key lay flat on the floor, under the dressing table. Picking it was equivalent to lifting a scale - tricky and hard. Next to impossible.

"Devika," he yells. "Did you -"

"Stop screaming!" I yell, cutting him off.

What an annoyance!

After various trials, I lift the key and grip it tightly, its tip pricking my palm. Sliding the lock open, as slow as possible, I pull the door open and stand in front of his room.

The door was a mess. Pieces of wood and dust lay around it, scratches and dents adorning the beige wooden door. But, atleast it's much quieter now.

Concluding that the beast has disappeared, I kneel and unlock the door, the chains falling in a metallic rhythm at my feet. The door swung open, hitting the wall harshly.

Disappointment.

It is clearly visible on his face, along with traces of agony. He holds out his right hand to stop the door from closing, again, and I don't miss the face of pain he makes while doing so. A small stain of bluish purple peeks from under his sleeve.

"What's the matter? Does your arm hurt?" I ask, placing the key on the stand beside his room.

He does not reply. Rather, he walks away, pulling a key off the rack and unlocks the kitchen, slamming its door with the same force. I pity the door now.

"Yash," I reach out, holding onto his right arm, "You frightened me to death last night..."

Wincing, he smacks my hand away. Flaring his nostrils, he grits his teeth and his face turns into a shade of red. The vein on his neck pops out, and his skin stretches as he moves closer.

"Don't you dare touch me!" He warns. "You have no right to care about me. I'm in this mess all because of you."

Mess? What mess? And how... how did I cause it?

His facial features loosen up, a spark of pain crossing his eyes before a ray of mockery lights. His lips curve into a smirk, "It's surprising to see you alive though. Well, nevermind. I have another chance tonight."

"Why do you have to be so rude?" I rage. Snickering, he pushes his hands into his pockets and walks away into his room.

I hate this man so much!

* * *

I pull at the main door again. I try for an hour, pulling and pushing the door but all in vain.

"Why did Anika lock me here? That too with a devil!"

He chuckles, probably after hearing me. Turning on the bed, he flips the page of his book.

Bored, I jump down on the sofa and press the button on remote to turn it on. That was before I remember about the power cut.

Tossing it away, I settle down in the balcony, enjoying the bare surroundings. Wrapped in a creased blanket of clouds, the sky lay painted in shades of grey. The cold wind plays roughly, tearing apart the branches and leaves.

A feeling of emptiness rises, numbing me to the cell. Thoughts of Harish, his promises, words and of all, his smiles loom in my mind. His smiles, that once used to give rise to butterflies in my stomach, now make me want to puke. A feeling of disgust makes my stomach twist in knots.

Lost in thoughts, I wake up mentally when the sun falls on my eyes - a sign of the falling day.

It is evening.

Blinking my eyes rapidly, I place a hand to shield my eyes from the sun. How does time pass so quickly?

Sighing, I stand up slowly and walk back in to the room. Taking a seat on the sofa, I run a hand down my hair.

"Remember me?" He whispers as his breath hits my neck and I straighten up on the seat akin to the hair on my arms. "What couldn't happen last night, will happen tonight." He leans in, resting his arms on the arm of the sofa, "You, will, die."

Scoffing, he moves back with his arms crossed against his chest. A proud smile spreads on his lips, a familiar mockery dazzling in his eyes.

"What -"

He interrupts, "I'm going to sleep. Lock my door." He pushes the lock and chains in my hand, walking into his room and, as always, slams it shut.

Ugh! My ears.

Overcome by annoyance, I lock his door before he says anything. How long do I have to tolerate this?

Running my finger over the chain, I pause at the constant uneven roughness. Peering down at it, I find marks of rust coating it in a long run. Some connections are living on their last string, one pull and snap!

Hell! For how long am I safe?

Dashing into my room, I bolt it. The bed. The bottle. They are still living in the last night and also force me back to it.

The sounds, his cackles and my fears.

Learning from the previous night, I had safely hidden a curtain rod and a torch in the room.

I didn't want to take any chances.

Wrapping myself in the blanket, I sit under the window, the rod and torch at a fingers distance and watch the door.

Occasionally, I would kneel and look out of the window, trying to search for signs of human life. Flashing the torch for a few, wasteful, minutes, I hope for someone to see it.

The streets are empty just like the hearts of many people, I conclude and get back to stare at the door.

* * *

Yash

I stare long and hard, hard enough to make holes, at the ceiling. Desperate. I was desperate to fall asleep and spend a painless night. My arm stings as I turn over and lay on it. Painful but bearable.

Forcing my eyes to shut, I count - sheep, numbers, both forward and backward, stars - literally anything.

Why is it so hard for my brain to shut down?

Shutting my eyes tightly, I toss around on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position.

The wind sneaks into the room, and the clock strikes to one. I groan.

Not again!

Pressing the pillow over my ears, I ignore the tune falling out of it.

A sharp pain pricks my arm, making me fall back to the floor. Holding my already injured arm, I take a deep breath on finding myself in front of the door.

I attempt to stand and get back to bed, but my body doesn't obey. It sits still, stinging in pain.

Turning myself towards the mirror, I lean against the bed and stare at my reflection. The moon shines at it. Messy hair, sweat covered face and red eyes - this isn't me. This is not me! I stare at it a little longer, a frown etched on my lips.

'Missed me, didn't you?' He asks, a grin spreading on his lips. Messy hair, sweat covered face, red eyes and... a confident, bloodthirsty grin. The only difference between us.

There is another, he lives in my head.

He was planted there. By the one whose name I don't know, but wants Devika gone. He controls me at night.

"I did not miss you. Leave." I order.

'I come not at my will, I leave not at your will. We do as she wills.'

I grunt. That silly woman and her even more silly demands. She could've done this dirty job with her own hands. But no! She's got to take advantage of the weak.

The sharp sting revives itself as I hold myself against the door. I grip the bed, trying to hold myself against his will.

The things I agreed to do for what? Money, freedom and a new identity. I shouldn't have given in. Death seems way better now.

'You were born with blood around you. You learnt to use a knife before your words. The knife is your food, blood your air. Why do you resist your basic needs?'

My head hurts. I fall back on the bed, taking a deep breath.

It wasn't long before he has me back to the door. The pain that I felt wasn't like the ones I had felt before. It wasn't like the grip of that frustrated inspector on my arm or that of Anna's on my neck for getting caught by the police. This was different. Painful. And unexplainable.

"Stop it!" I yell, tumbling to my feet. He laughs and I hold my head in my hands.

'Go. And. Open. The. Damn. Door.'

I pull at the door to open it but the chains and lock have it securely bound.

Time passes, and before I know it, the alarm for five rings. He leaves, and so does the will of my body to stand. Falling to my bed, breathless and hurt, I drag myself to the pillow, exhaustion and pain seeping through the bone.

The alarm sounds for the third time, indicating the start of a new day. But in my case, the previous hadn't even ended.

Groaning with the urgency to use the washroom, I jump off the bed, sore and exhausted.

"Open the door, Devika." I scream, tapping my foot impatiently. In a matter of seconds, the door swings open and Devika stares at me, confusion and annoyance evident on her face.

This is entirely her fault! Why did she have to make such a foolish mistake? Which sane person goes after a married man?

"What's wrong Devika? You look quite exhausted. Not getting enough sleep?"

"Don't act all innocent," she complains. "I'm like this because of you!"

And I'm here because of you!

Pulling an innocent smile I ask, "What have I done? I was simply sleeping the entire night."

"You keep making such loud noises at night. How do you expect me to fall asleep in such a situation?"

Chuckling, I drag the door slowly, "I haven't done anything. You are just imagining things."

Pulling the door, I shut it softly.

I better take a nap in the afternoon. And also apply some spray or gel to my arm.

"I want to check your room," she announces, after a small gap of silence.

"You are not allowed inside." I latch the door and stand infront of it.

Just go away! I need to use the washroom.

"Are you hiding something, or maybe, someone inside?" She asks with a hint of disappointment in her voice and takes a seat on the couch.

Yes. A body bag to pack your dead body in.

Walking away to another room, I shrug and glance at her over my shoulder.

"Maybe. Maybe not."