Chapter 14 (installment 2) :

Saakshi and Aisha found a staircase that led them to the 3^rd floor of the mansion. They reached at the balcony and Aisha slipped while Saakshi saved her from falling down.

Saakshi : Careful Aisha.

Aisha looked at the thing she slipped. It was some pigeon dirt. She shook her head and approached forward.

Aisha : This is dirty...

Saakshi : It's an open place, Aisha. Look so many birds resting here.

Aisha : Yatin's birdhouse vi yahan thi...

Saakshi : haan on terrace...but first we should check this floor.

Aisha : Saakshi, look over there... that's NC's residence. And see his bird houses... they're huge.

Saakshi : Haan...but what are those aerials for?

Aisha : which one?

Saakshi : Look, that one is for TV, right?... but those on birdhouses, woh kis liye?

Aisha : Who baad main pata karr lenge, come.

They started looking into the rooms, all the rooms were clean... furnitures and other stuffs were covered with canvas and plastic sheets. It was clear to them that those rooms are not in use but maintained well.

Girls were getting annoyed with their zero findings...suddenly Aisha found a bracelate, broken.

Aisha : Saakshi, I think this bracelate is broken with this door knob...but whos?

Saakshi : Its Jay's...(Aisha quered through eyes)...I gifted it. It's another pair belongs to Sonali. It has been five years I gave these, they always ware them...

Aisha : kisi aur ka vi...

Saakshi : No chance... I made them on special order... Look at the inner portion...Jay's initials are engrossed there.

Aisha : Hmm...Saakshi...kis occasion pe...

Saakshi : Raksha bandhan pe... aab isse pehle tum pucho ki dono ko kyun...main khud hi bata deti hoon. Mere yeh dono friends barey hi besharam hain... ek ko gift deti to dusre ne double price ke kuch kharid ke bill mujhe vejh deta...phir iss baat pe dono ki fight hota...sula karne jaati to ulta dono ek saath milke mujh pe hi ( smiling sadly)...so, I just defended both my purse and my life.

Aisha felt Saashi was getting emotional. So she tried to divert her mind.

Aisha : Let's get inside this room...maybe this time we can find something.

They entered the room, It was a king bedroom. Like all other rooms of this floor, it was clean but looks like this room is in use. They checked every nook and corner of the room.

Saakshi : Aisha, calendar... it's today's date...and lamp switches... their logos are weathered. Aisa tab hi hota hain jab...

Aisha : Regularly cheezon ko use kia jata hain.

Aisha : pulled the drawer of other bedside table... Medicine box was full with different medicines and those were of very recent.  AC and TV remotes were in working condition.

Saakshi opened the cupboard... It wasn't empty... She was looking into it, while Aisha called her.

Aisha : Saakshi...yeh bills dekho..

Saakshi & Aisha was reading the documents and taking photos of them,they heard a sound. Both looked at that direction and saw a girl in black dress looking at them from the darket corner of the room. Her dress is of the trends of about 200 years ago. Her appearance made the girls froze at their places.

It as a long moment they looked into their eyes before Aisha jostled Saakshi and whispered.

Aisha : Be ready Saakshi...( Saakshi switched on her torche , Aisha held her gun )...On the count of three ...1...2...3.

Both pointed their torch & gun to the girl. But at the same time the girl moved, and the light reflected.

Aisha : It's a mirror...so she's behind us.

Both turned around...there was nothing but the solid wall.

Saakshi : She's gone...Aisha,  was it hallucination?

Aisha : May be, But we have to be careful.

Saakshi moved to the mirror... and observed it carefully.

Aisha : Tum kahin uss vootni ko toh nahi dhoond rahi ho...vooton ka reflections nahi hota.

Saakshi : I know...that means she's not a ghost at all...but how could've she vanished? Is it possible that she was inside this mirror?

Aisha : How?... this mirror is fixed to the wall.

Saakshi : I know... but...

Saakshi was grazing her fingers on the design of mirror panelings. Suddenly her hand pressed on a flowral pattern and the mirror moved aside... just like a door.

Both girls passed a "I didn't know it" look, Smiled.

Saakshi : Kya tum wahi soch rahi hoon jo main soch rahi hoon?

Aisha nodded.

Saakshi moved aside gesturing her "After you."

They stepped in the dark passage. It was a long, narrow passage. Both examined the rough walls and the mirror framed door. The door was a ordinary one, made of wood and light also. No cluchs, no knob, A mirror of exact size of the door panel was placed in one side.

Aisha : Strange !! how it could be opened after closing it once?  There must be a mechanism...(She pushed the panel & the door closed with a soft click.

Saakshi : Devaaa!!!...hum atak gaye !!

Aisha : Hmm...

She touched the panel and grazed her finger around it to find any notch or indent that can help pulling the door open, but the panel was of exact size of the frame, it sat in its position and there was no place even for passing the air.

Aisha : There must be a way to open the door from this side... you opened it so easily from that side na...

Saakshi : woh sab main nahi jaanti... I just want to get out from here. It's suffocating here.

Aisha : In that case we can break it easily... (Saakshi raised an eyebrow)... I mean the wood is not so thick, itne patli darwaza torne ke liye Chotu na vi ho to chalega...dono milke tor denge (She passed a cheeky smile) ...Lekin uski zaroorat shayed nahi parega...we can explore the other end of this corridor...wahan se nikal jayenge.

Saakshi : I hope uss taraf ke door locked na ho.  Chalo... But baki sab ko inform toh karo ke hum...

Aisha : That's not possible.

Saakshi : Kyun?

Aisha : My communicator is dead...I can't hear them since we've entered here. May be here's no signal.

Saakshi : Aab yahi baaki tha...mujhe to laga sirf meri wali kharab ho gaya...par yahan toh...chalo aage chalte hain.

They proceeds through the passage...this passage was like a long network that covered almost all the rooms of this floor...They found some closed doors similar to the previous one.

Aisha : yeh corridor hain yah kisi thriller film ka set...

Saakshi : Yeh mansion jab bana tab yahan robbery bohot zyada hota tha...toh aurate, bachcho aur keemti saman chupane ke liye aur sab kii safe escape ke liye aise passages banaya jata tha. Dekho, air circulation vi achcha hain...closed places jaisa nahi hain.

Aisha : toh bahar jaane ka door hain kaunsa?...all are closed !

Saakshi was looking around and she saw a door.

Saakshi : Chalo woh wala try kare...dekho isme toh knob bhi hain...

Aisha pulled the door, and relieving the girls, it opened.

It was a stairecase...and the girls started climbing down hurriedly...

They felt they were stepping down for an eternity. Finally they stopped at the platform to take some breath. Saakshi leand on the door, panting.

Saakshi : Yaar...ground floor aur kitna neeche hain.

Aisha : I don't know. Arre...

Saakshi : What happened?

Aisha : My torch...may be battery down.

Saakshi : Koi nahi...meri hain ... (by this time hers also turned off)

Aisha : Marr gaye Saakshi... it's so dark here...even a cat cannot see anything in this darkness.

Saakshi : Agar bahar jane ka raasta na mila na toh mansion kii vooton ke list main do naam aur add ho jayega.

Aisha was going to answer Saakshi, She heard some sound.

Aisha : Saakshi, did you hear that, iss door ke piche?

Saakshi : Haan pipe organ baaz raha hain...( She pulled Aisha's hand and switch on the tiny lamp fixed into her cellphone ) come...

Aisha : Kaha jaa rahi ho?

Saakshi : Pipe organ baaz raha hain, that means we are around the projection room,i.e., the ground floor... toh wahan ghusne ka raasta vi yahi kahin hona chahiye.

Both girls followed the music and moved at it's direction, checking the walls to find any door or entry point...Aisha leant against the wall to hear the sound clearly...she felt the wall moved forward a bit. She asked Saakshi to help her and both pushed it.

The wall moved aside like a door panel and they found themselves standing before a closet full of cloths.

Aisha : Aab kya?

Saakshi : I never had seen anybody to set his closet reversely...unless..

Aisha : It has two openings.

Saakshi nodded and both start removing cloths from closet hanger. But the front door was locked. Aisha removed her hairpin and unlocked the door...they ended up into the prop room, right behind the projection room.

The sound of pipe organ was much louder here. Aisha looked at Saakshi quizzically.

Saakshi : That blue shadow is playing organ (her voice shook a bit).

Aisha : Hume wahan se hi bahar jaana hain, hain na? ( she also didn't even try to hide her anxiety).

Saakshi looked into her friends eyes for a long moment.

Saakshi : Ek kaam karte hain... yahi wait karte hain...aapna music session khatam karke who yahi se jayega... Hum tab usse pakad lenge.

Aisha : Agar uski pahle usne hume pakde toh ?

Saakshi : Tab maan lenge ki main galat thi...ajeeb lag raha hai na??

Aisha nodded.

Saakshi : Thori der main darr lagega... Then it will terrorize you... And then you feel of running.

Aisha : Toh aab kya lag hara hain?

Saakshi : Anxiety... (she held Aisha's hand tightly).

Aisha : Saakshi, chalo sidha daur ke nikal jaate hai...

Saakshi : Arre nahi ...You know Aisha...Yeh anxiety, fright, terror, apprehension...they are just our state of minds...you know...only feelings. And feelings are not harmful at all...until we do something odd... Nothing gonna happen.

Aisha : suddenly yeh phychology ka lecture kyun de rahi ho...

Saakshi : Kyun ki...now we'll feel apprehension.

She held Aisha's hand more tightly, so did Aisha. Saakshi was right. The fright was spreading all over her body. She felt shiver under her skin, as if it becoming dry. Her legs wanted to run away...but Saakshi's hold didn't allow her to do that.

Saakshi also felt the same, but she stood like a stone at her place. She only knew that if she moves, her fear will took over her mind.

Saakshi : (still holding Aisha's hand) This terrorization is the last weapon of this mansion to keep people away from it. Come let's go inside the projection room, we have to nab that blue shadow.

Aisha : I am not coming. (her voice was still shaking).

Saakshi : Aab darna band karo yaar, yeh sab ek insaan hi karr raha hain, koi ghost nahi...in fact yahan voot hain hi nahi.

Aisha : To kaun hain, Yatin Mehra?

Saakshi : Right.

Aisha : but without any help from outside, how could he survive for so long?

Saakshi : I don't know, will ask him when we meet. Avi vi darr lag raha hain?

Aisha : Nahi, chalo. Dekhte hain uss "Neele Shaitaan" ko.

...
How is this "all girls' chapter ?