I tried my best to express the emotions... Hope you guys will enjoy.

Happy Reading... 📖

Nayan worried as Ruhi was nowhere to be found.

He dialled Vidyut's number.

Navya (panicking): What if he did something?

Ivana (worried): Ruhi is strong. She will be here only.

Ekansh (raising his eyebrow): Navi, who are you talking about?

Dhruv: I guess we should inform our teachers.

Meanwhile, Nayan was a little away from speaking with Vidyut on the call. He informed Vidyut about Ruhi. As the brothers were home only. They all immediately left for college.

Nayan came back to his friends.

Dhruv: I guess we should inform our teachers about this.

Nayan heard his words and immediately ran towards the party hall, where teachers were present. Everyone quickly followed him.

Only a few students were left, who were waiting for their parents. Teachers and the principal were there.

Nayan (standing in front of the Principal): Sir, Ruhi... she is missing. We are not able to find her.

Principal (shocked): She must be here only. The hall is empty. I personally checked before leaving. Check her in the washroom.

Navya (coming forward): Sir, we've checked. She is not there either.

Ruhi's classroom teacher, who was listening to all this.

Teacher (confused): But she didn't come to the party.

Navya: No ma'am. She was here in the garden. She came to the party but she was not feeling well. So, she sat in the garden.

Principal: You mean to say she came for party but not in party hall?

Nayan: She wasn't feeling well.

Principal: So? No one informed us before. She was here but the teachers don't have any idea. Not even about her health. She might have left for home.

Navya: Sir, her belongings. We found it in the garden.

Nayan who was holding her phone, bag and jacket. He showed it.

Principal: I don't know anything. She was not in the party hall. So, she was not the college's responsibility.

Teacher: We are only responsible for students who were present in the party hall. She might be roaming with someone here or there who knows.

Principal: Correct! She got a chance to escape under the name of a party.

Before anyone could say. The car entered the campus. Vidyut and Saurav immediately rushed out.

Vidyut (came towards Nayan): Ruhi?

Saurav came and stood beside Vidyut.

Principal (shocked): Vidyut Rajput? Saurav Rajput?

Vidyut (worried): I am looking for my sister. Ruhi... where is she?

Teacher: Is she your sister? She is missing.

Saurav (nodded): That's why we came here in her search.

Principal: We were worried for her only. I asked the kids to check the washroom. She is not there as well. She is the college's responsibility when she is in college premises. She must be here only. Let's have a look around.

He turned towards the teachers.

Principal: Teachers immediately look at every corner. She must be here only. She isn't feeling well. She might be in the medical room. Let's search fast.

Just then Anirudh came there after parking the car. The principal saw him too. He gulped.

Principal: Mr Rajput, give us a few minutes. We will search around. Please wait. Should I order something for you? Tea or Coffee?

Looking at Ruhi's brother, he was shocked. Of course, their reputation was something they made. Anirudh and Saurav are in the top businessmen's list. Vidyut, the District Magistrate.

Anirudh (ignoring the principal's question): How is Ruhi missing?

Principal (trying to be confident): Sir, she was not present in party. We came to know now she was not feeling well. So, she was in the garden. These children, they didn't inform us. Now, she is missing.

Anirudh and Vidyut saw each other. They understood that she must be feeling uncomfortable because of the clothes. So, she sat in the garden. Saurav was lost in his thoughts. He was sure it's not about clothes only. She had something on her mind.

Vidyut: We will also search for Ruhi.

The principal nodded and immediately ordered teachers to look around. Anirudh, Saurav and Vidyut were also searching. Everyone was looking for Ruhi around, shouting her name, checking each and every class and corner.

No one was able to find her. The family was scared. Especially Saurav and Nayan because they knew she was worried about something already.

They checked the whole college. Everyone gathered in the garden.

Saurav (tensed): She is nowhere to be found.

Vidyut: I called Yug. He will be here with his team in a few minutes. Till the time, Sir, show us the CCTV footage.

Listening to the name Yug, one of teacher got shocked.

Teacher: Sir, are you talking about IPS Yug Mehra?

Vidyut nodded. Principal shivered Listening to this.

Principal: Sir, there is no need to disturb him. We will find Ruhi. Don't worry.

Vidyut (losing his calm): It's been almost 40mins we came. We are searching for her. It's been 1 hour or maybe more Ruhi is missing. I want my sister to be safe anyway.

Principal gulped and nodded.

Just then Ivana's father came. He came to pick Ivana ofcourse. Finding Anirudh, Saurav and Vidyut. He got confused and walked towards them.

Ivana saw her father and quickly ran into his arms.

Ivana's father (holdingIvana in his embrace): What happened?

Ivana (worried): Ruhi is missing.

Ivana's father (looking at Anirudh): We should inform the police.

Anirudh (nodding): Vidyut called IPS. We are going to check CCTV footage.

Ivana's father: I will also come. Ivi, stand with your friends. I am coming.

Ivana nodded, breaking the hug.

Saurav: Nayan, bring Yug in control room.

They went into the control room to check the CCTV footage.

A few minutes later, the siren of the police jeep was heard. Followed by Jeep entering the campus.

Yug came out of the jeep. His team follows him.

Nayan: Yug bhaiya, Vidyut bhaiya is in the control room, checking CCTV footage. He asked me to bring you there.

Yug: Let's go.

He turned towards his team. Understanding his gesture, one of his team members nodded.

(Yug Mehra- An IPS Officer and also Vidyut's best friend. They together prepared for UPSC exams)

They walked into the control room. Yug's team started to enquire among the students and teachers present there.

In the control room...

Everyone was keenly observing the screen. Yug and Nayan walked in. Vidyut saw them. He gesture him to come there. Yug silently stood beside him observing the screen.

Anirudh: She has been sitting on this bench for a long time.

Nayan: When I left for the party. She was sitting here alone.

Vidyut: We saw your footage some minutes ago. One of your friend also came.

Nayan (noding): Ekansh.

A few minutes later, they were silently watching Ruhi sitting on the same bench.

And the camera was suddenly off.

Vidyut (shocked): What the hell?

Yug: How did the camera turn off?

Security (scared): Sir, we don't know.

Yug: I am feeling like college is involved in this. How can someone turn off the CCTV cameras? Like not one but almost all. Only Party Hall's footage is available

Anirudh (turning to Principal): How can someone shut them off?

The principal panicked, looking at the camera being turned off.

Principal: Seriously, I don't have any idea.

Yug: Who is incharge?

Principal: For the security room, Mr Rahat.

Yug: Where is he?

Principal: Sir, he is on leave today.

The principal took his handkerchief and wiped it on his forehead to wipe the sweat. He was scared.

Saurav (worried): I guess Ruhi is in college only. As CCTV of the front and back gates is on. No one is entering or exiting.

Yug: Let's try to search around.

They immediately dashed out.

Everyone came in garden. They heard the voices of the gramophone. The voice was so low, as if those were whispers.

Listening to these voices, one of Yug's team members spoke.

Team member: Yug Sir, the moment you entered here, I could hear these whispers like a sound.

Yug: Let's follow this voice.

Principal (worried): Sir, that building is under construction.

Yug gave me a look that was enough for the Principal to shut his mouth.

Principal: Sir, please follow me.

As the principal said this. Volume of voices increased a little. As the volume increased, Anirudh, Saurav and Vidyut rushed in the direction without waiting for others.

Everyone followed them behind.

As they were getting close, they could hear that the volume of the voice was getting higher, not only because the distance was decreasing but also because someone was increasing it.

They can feel that someone was doing it deliberately.

Understanding words and the meaning of the gramophone's voice

Listening to this, Saurav felt his heart clench. Vidyut who was running, stopped as his senses stopped working. Anirudh who was trying to calm himself. He lost his calm and ran after the voice.

Saurav and Vidyut too ran behind him. They can sense the volume increasing and echoing.

As they reached near the building, all they could see was darkness inside.

Anirudh (shouting): Why is this so dark?

Principal (scared and panicking): Sir, I told you this is under construction.

Vidyut (panicking): Bhai leave him. Yug will handle this. Please let's go and search for Ruhi.

Saurav quickly turned on the phone's torch and ran inside the building. Anirudh and Vidyut followed him.

They reached the first floor, which was also fully dark, only light was their phone's torch.

They ran towards the room to see that it was locked out.

Without waiting for a second. They broke the lock and opened the door.

Heart of the brothers fell in their stomachs.

Everything was dark, gramophone was playing at a very high volume. Voice echoing in that room as if DJ music is playing.

Their baby sister is sitting in a corner, holding her legs, hiding her face. It's like she was trying to hide herself. All terrified, scared. Her body was trembling.

Saurav quickly walked towards Ruhi and sat on knee in front of her.

Saurav (placing his hand on her head): Rooh...

He felt that she was squeezing herself, trying to vanish. Is she scared of her brother?

His heart broke and tears which he was trying to control, rolled down his face.

Vidyut pushed the gramophone to shut it. Voice, words were definitely scary. He is pushed it. Gramophone fell down and broken into pieces, Voice of shuttering scared Ruhi even more. She pushed herself more towards wall.

Everyone who were present was shocked. Ivana and Navya were scared. Navya hugged her brother Ekansh and Ivana's father pulled his daughter in his embrace.

Anirudh (crouching to her level): Rooh, look at dada bache.

Ruhi didn't respond. They felt she was numb.

Vidyut forcefully pulled Ruhi. He was scared but as she wasn't responding to Anirudh and Saurav. He were scared.

To be continued...