First, my second-year classroom, then the CIMS campus, and now the Government University campus. Why do the places that are barely connected to me, have to come in my dream?

I have visited this campus a couple of times, so I know where the parking lot is situated, and I go there looking for my car.

I'm not sure whether my car will be there as I was teleported directly from my house to the second-floor corridor, but I still decided to take a look. I walked through the entire parking lot, and I couldn't find my car. From this campus, I need to take two buses to reach my place, which will be a tiresome ride. I already feel exhausted by the events of the dream.

Feeling weak on my legs, I lean against a tree. I look up to see the sky, it is bright, and the sun shining, but the rays are not piercing through my eyes as it usually does. Despite my parents being strict, I have always had control over my life, so far. And I hate when this dream is controlling me.

I feel let down and almost lower my head, and then suddenly the idea bulb glows over my head. Control. How I haven't thought about it. When I have the ability to crack the logic behind the dates of the murder and fool the murder to escape, I can gain control over my dream. I can change whatever this dream into a lucid dream.

I need to do it. I need to get control over my dream.

I keep repeating this as a mantra. I feel a slight tremble on the ground like there was an earthquake with a few Richter scales. I hold the tree for balance. I'm not sure whether it is correct to hold a tree when there is an earthquake. The shaking stops after a few moments.

How could there be an earthquake in the dream world?

I'm not good at geography or earth science, but there could be the only one possibility for me to experience the earthquake-like shaking. It must be a response from my body, which means I am gaining control over my dream.

I close my eyes for a second, taking a deep breath, I think. When I open my eyes, my car will be parked in front of me. I slowly open my eyes, and there my car was parked, shining under the bright sunlight.

A victory smile breaks on my face, and I march toward my car and sit inside it. The more I gain control over my dream, the more I can snap out of the dream.

Well, when I realized that I'm dreaming itself, I got into lucid dreaming mode. It took until now for me to realize it. I need to awaken my conscious brain and wake up completely.

I prepare myself to give it a try, as I'm not an expert in lucid dreaming. I grip the steering wheel and close my eyes to concentrate. Then suddenly, a thought clicks in.

Why does this dream have to be a serial killing thriller type of one? What could be the reason behind the serial killing? If there is any reason or my mind, simply made it up? If I wake up now, will it be OK, or will it be like leaving a book without reading the last chapter or leaving the theatre before the movie ends?

Like this, so many questions invade my thoughts. I once again sit in my car, confused. So far, I was trying to wake up from the dream. Now when I find out the way to wake up, I'm thinking the other way.

Between waking up or finding the reason, I chose the second option. Now that I have realized that I can control my dream, I guess I can control the time as per my wish, and I can also move and teleport as I wish.

I sit straight in my car seat and close my eyes. I take a deep breath and I manifest.

When I open my eyes, I'm going to be in a different dress, and I'm going to see Guru walking out of the campus.

Now, as I slowly open my eyes, I see things are exactly as I ordered. I'm wearing a long white Kurthi and floral print leggings, and I watch him walking toward the main exit gate. Instantly, I dig into my backpack and take out the Stoles and cover my face before I get down. I leave the campus and turn left toward the bus stop, to find him getting into a bus, I run and follow him into the bus.

The bus is not crowded much, and I'm standing by his side to get the bus ticket from the bus conductor. Guru gestures to me to get my ticket first, pretending like a common gentleman he is. I give him a nod and fetch a fifty rupee note to get the ticket for the last stop of the bus. I don't know which stop he is going to get down, asking him to get first, and buying a ticket for the same stop could raise his suspicion, but getting the ticket for the last stop will make me look like a typical bus traveler.

After buying the ticket, I find a seat in the row second from the back to sit. This way, I can have an eye on him, and hop off the bus when he does, without piquing anyone's suspicion. He buys a ticket for the forthcoming third stop and moves to the middle of the bus, where there is an empty seat.

When the bus reaches his stop, he gets down through the front door, and I follow him by getting down from the backside door. As soon as I get down, I hide behind a tree near the bus stop and order for a change of dress, then mix with the crowd and follow him at a distance of twenty feet. I pick up my speed when I notice him talking with the autorickshaw driver in the auto-rickshaw stand.

I reach the auto stand as he gets into the auto and leaves, I ask another driver to start the ride stating that I don't know the name of the street but only the route. We are just behind the auto in which Guru is riding and I direct the driver by copying the route of the auto in front of us.

Asking to follow that auto, could only cause problems by making the drivers think why this girl needs to follow him, and he might also come to know if he is a regular in the stand.

After two to three left and right turns, his auto stops, and he gets down. I act like I'm looking for the house I need to reach and asks the driver to stop ten houses away from Guru's, all the time, watching the him in the auto's rearview mirror. After paying the driver, I pretend like knocking on the gate until the auto takes the next right and leaves the street.

I walk the few steps, pretending to be talking on my mobile phone with someone and looking at his house. It's an old rustic house, constructed covering the full plot without a compound and gate. Though it looks like it has been painted recently, 1954, the year of the construction is embodied on the short terrace wall.

The house is guarded by an eight-foot-tall teak wood door, probably Burma teak, considering the year the house was constructed. The lock of the door has been replaced with a new age electronic lock, and I hope it's not biometric. After surveying the house and the surroundings for any CCTV camera, I decided to leave, not wanting to stay longer.

I start walking toward the bus stand, where we got down, recollecting the path. On the way, I see a park, the gate is open, but it's empty. I sit on one of the benches for a much-needed rest and think about my next move. I don't know what the time is now in reality, but I need to end this dream faster and have to move out of even this lucid dreaming stage.

If I can order things around, I may have the power to teleport and skip time. Two days have already passed in the dream, and I muster all my energy and order that the time leaps to the next day, and he should be in college. I open my eyes and check my mobile for the date and time, and it shows 30 Aug 2020 and 11:39 AM.

Yes, I did it.

To check whether he is in college, I send a quick text to Nina.

Me: Hey dear, I'm not well, taking leave today, collect notes for me.

Nina: Sure, sis.

Nina: Take care of your health.

Me: What Class is going now?

Nina: Skills Training, sis.

Nina: Guru sir is taking the class.

Nina: He asked about you

Nina: I said, I don't know.

Me: Hmm, OK, dear.

Me: Bye.

Me: TC

Nina: Bye, sis.

Now that I'm sure of Guru being in college, I order for a change of dress, this time with the specification. I'm in black jeans and a tank top. I stretch my hand in front of me and ask for clinical shoe covers and gloves. I put them in my pant pocket, tied my hair in a high ponytail, and started walking toward his house.