Chapter 9 :

 9.00 am, morning, ETF conference room.

Everyone except the ACP's were sitting in their places, Saakshi was reading something on Shree's laptop, Aisha was busy with some papers arranging in files,Shree & Chotu was discussing something in low voice, when liza entered with a big packet.

Liza : Morning, guys.

Chotu : Morning, liza. What's in your hand?

Shree : kissi dead body ke parts to nahi?

Liza opened the box & extend it to Chotu. Chotu looked inside, happily took out a handful cookies & started munching. She then offered Aisha & Saakshi, but Shree.

Chotu : UMM!!... delicious, kahan se laya?

Liza : Meri Aunt Clara aayi hain, she made it.

Aisha : It's really good yaar.

Shree got up from his place and went to Liza's side.but when he was about to pick one cookie up, liza shifted the box to other side.

Liza : Kyun speky, tum kabse cannibal bann gaya?

Shree : Huh?

Liza : Isme human parts hai...you said it a moment ago, right?

Shree : Dekh Liza, yeh Clara aunty ki cookies (eyed greedily)...best cookies in the world...iss ke liye to main tujhe aapna baap bana loon...ek de do plz...main phir kabhi tumhare dead bodies ko kuch nahi kahunga...plz... plz...plz...(He gave his sweetest smile).

Liza : Go away...soooh..

Shree : pleeezee..

Saakshi : Liza, Ek de do is modern vikhari ko, warna rota rahega.

Liza gave him two cookies.

Liza : (in Shree's ear) Aunty send a special packet for you, ghar jaate waqt le jana.

Shree : (exited)... you are my best enemy, yaar...I love you.( about to hug her)...

" Arre wah!! Pehli baar sunn raha hoon koi aapni dushman se aise baat karta hain." a voice came from behind. [ Author : Run your brains, guys; tell me who it could be? Rathod or Rawte?]

All looked towards the door, ACPs were standing there.

Shree silently sat in his place & buried himself inside his tab.ACPs took their seats.

Aisha : You went to meet those police investigators, right? Did you find anything?

Rathod : Nothing new... They were scared, that's it. They hurt themselves in the process of escaping from there. All because of that damm fear.We are at a dead end, Damm it.

Arjun : So let's start from the beginning... Chotu tell me, what made you run?

Chotu : Nothing, I did it willingly.

Arjun : You don't understand my question, why you wished to run, what happened?

Chotu : First, I felt  little awkward, then it increased to anxiety, then I became scared, it increasd to terror...& all of a sudden I felt a stong apprehension...then did I have any other option  except running away?

Arjun : Exactly... this also happened to me. Anxiety increased to apprehension. But actually what happened?... First...entrance...pigeons scared us, thn eco hall...eco made us uncomfortable, then we felt someone around us...& when we were about to corner him...it was an oil painting... then a cold breeze...

Rathod : (correcting Arjun ) breeze of freezing air...& icy cold fog...& a figure engrossed inside it...( shivering as he could feel it now)... why that painting looked so real?

Arjun : Maybe hallucination...Saakshi, what about you?

Saakshi : My experience is little different from you guys...yes, I felt exactly like you guys, but I ignored it first, when Chotu left me alone in the projection room, then I started to fear...I was about to get out of the room, I saw a blue shadow near the pipe organ...

Shree : how could you see that? There was no other light source inside except your torch.

Saakshi : I don't know, it was glowing... So I went to it & was about to touch it...but suddenly I felt something cold around me...& that blue thing was approaching towards me...I became scared & run to get out of that place.

Arjun : I wish you could take a snap of that blue shadow...

Rathod : You wish ???? We could barely escaped from that place, that too alive & you wished she stand there & do a photo shoot with a so called blue ghost!!! Have you lost it, Rawte!!!

Arjun : ( to Saakshi) I saw the circumstances at my own...so I'm not complaining, it's OK.

Shree's cell phone buzzed & he picked it, but nobody answered from the other side.

Shree : may be wrong number or some prank.

Arjun : So, we didn't see anything that could scare us...

Rathod : So what, we felt na...that place looks scary.

Again Shree's cell phone buzzed & he picked it, but nobody answered from the other side.

Arjun : (giving Shree a disgusting look) So that should be the main reason... look Rathod three marders occurred in that place, it is a crime scene, there should be some clues, & we only can find it when we inspect the crime scene thoroughly. We must go there again.

Shree's cell phone buzzed & he picked it, but nobody answered from the other side. This time Shree was totally pissed off.

Shree: If you don't want to talk, then why you're calling?

Arjun : Put the phone on speaker.

Shree did the same...there was a strange humming sound...then the call ended.

Shree sighed, but the phone buzzed again... before Shree could pick it, Arjun snatched it & put the phone on speaker.

Arjun : Hello ?

They heard the same humming sound. Arjun about to cut the call, but the sound changed suddenly; they heard some gurgle-like sound... then some stormy sound...and finally a whisper coming along with the storm.

The voice : Stay...Stay Away...

Then the call ended abruptly, as if someone strangled the caller.

Arjun : Stay away from what? ( as if he as asking the phone)

Nobody uttered a word for a long moment. Then suddenly Chotu stood up.

Chotu : I'm not feeling well...I'm going home.

Rathod also stood up.

Rathod : I've to attend an important meeting in headquarters, I better rush.

Saakshi got up.

Saakshi : I've to see Sonali, she may need me.

Arjun : I'll drop you there, come...(he also got up)

Shree : I'll trace this number...

All five approached doorwards & trying to leave the room at a time. At a consequence they were hustling in the door ...All stopped & looked each other at a loss...

Rathod : ( eying everyone) We'll meet after lunch... OK. Now move aside..

Rathod left & the rest followed him.

Aisha & Liza looked at each other amusingly and burst into laughter at the next instance...before retiring to their respective works.

Although the voice couldn't complete its sentence, it was clear to all, that voice warned them to stay away from the mansion.

...

I'm suffering from serum sickness & it's very difficult to type with one hand, so it's short & not upto the mark. (I guess!!). So plz tell me how it was.

Shamsad16072013-10-13 13:22:46