Chapter 11
Scene 1: Inside the House – 12:10 AM
The clock had long slipped past midnight. Outside, the night was silent and haunting, but inside the house, a storm of madness was rising.
[INT. Room – Night]
Raj was tied to a wooden chair, thick ropes digging deep into his skin. Sweat dripped from his forehead, mixing with the blood seeping from self-inflicted wounds, drawing grotesque streaks across his face. His shirt was torn, his body raw and swollen with violent scratches.
Raj (screaming, thrashing):
"Untie me! I can’t take this anymore! Let me go! LET ME GO!!"
His screams echoed through the house, bouncing off the walls—filled with pain… and something darker.
Just outside the room, pressed against the door, sat Rose—her head buried in her knees. Her eyes were bloodshot, her nails caked with blood—perhaps from clawing at her own skin. She held her hands over her ears, desperate to block Raj’s cries, but the sound still tore its way inside.
Rose (whispering, rocking back and forth):
"Stop it… please stop… don’t let me hear you… please, Raj… please…"
Tears streamed down her face. Her body shook violently, as if she were fighting a battle within herself.
Suddenly, she snapped.
Rose (screaming):
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!!"
The house was no longer a home.
It had become an asylum.
📖 Scene – Sonam’s Room
Sonam staggered into her room, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The restlessness inside her was so consuming that even standing felt impossible.
Her fingers trembled, her whole body itched as if something was crawling beneath her skin. Every movement was a struggle. She muttered to herself, almost like a prayer—
Sonam (whispering, broken):
“N-no… this can’t be happening… nothing will happen to me… I’ll be fine… I haven’t done anything wrong… God… You’ll save me… won’t You?”
She tore through the room in desperation—books, clothes, pillows—all went crashing to the floor. She stumbled at every step, falling and rising again, her gasping breaths cutting through the silence like blades.
Even through the burning itch and the suffocating fear, she kept searching… searching for something that might save her.
But at last, her body gave out. She collapsed heavily by the side of the bed, her face drenched in sweat and tears.
That’s when her eyes caught it—a faint glimmer beneath the bed, hidden in a dark corner.
Dragging herself forward, she reached out with shaking hands and pulled it free.
It was her worn-out purse.
A flicker of hope lit her face. She fumbled it open and pulled out a bottle of medicine.
But—
The bottle was empty.
Sonam’s eyes widened. Her heart thundered against her chest, as though it would burst out.
Her lips trembled. Slowly, helplessly, she collapsed onto the floor, tears streaming down her swollen, burning eyes.
Sonam (sobbing, voice trembling):
“What… what did I ever do…? Why is this happening to me…? Why did you all betray me…? I don’t want to die… Please… forgive me…”
Her gaze drifted upward to the ceiling, her vision blurred by tears.
Her breaths came in broken gasps, shallow and desperate. And in that suffocating silence, her words—soaked in pain—seemed to cling to the walls, echoing back at her.
📖 Scene 2: Edge of the Forest – 12:30 AM
The rustle of the forest suddenly turned sinister. Every whisper of wind through the leaves seemed like a warning of some hidden danger.
Romi and Joy stood frozen before the old man. His wrinkled face, cold eyes, and the gleaming axe in his hand—he looked every bit the predator.
Joy, mustering what little courage he had, stammered—
“Th-there… in the forest… Sonal’s body is lying there… someone slit her throat… she’s dead…”
Romi shrank behind him, her eyes wide like a terrified doe. Her trembling lips whispered—
“Joy… something’s not right… let’s get out of here…”
The old man stood silent. His gaze was icy, sharp, and unreadable—like he could hear the rhythm of their heartbeats.
And then suddenly… he lunged.
In one swift motion, he shoved Joy aside and swung the axe straight at Romi.
Her scream tore through the night. She stumbled backward, barely escaping the blow. The axe crashed into the ground, flashing cold steel in the moonlight.
Joy (shouting in panic):
“What are you doing, uncle?! Are you insane?!”
Romi (sobbing, screaming):
“No!! You’ve lost your mind!!”
Joy grabbed the axe with all his strength. The struggle was fierce. The stench of blood and the weight of tension thickened the air.
With a final push, Joy slammed the old man to the ground. But as he fell, the man growled into the night—
“I was ordered to kill them all! Joy… kill her first… then we’ll finish the rest!!”
Romi’s eyes widened in horror.
“Wh-what is he saying? What’s happening here?!”
The old man writhed like a rabid animal, trying to rise, his eyes glowing with bloodlust.
Joy trembled violently. His voice broke in a whisper—
“N-no… we were only told to watch them… not to kill…”
But the old man didn’t listen. He snarled—
“Joy! Kill them! You’ll be rewarded… ten lakhs! You’ll live rich, free… you can have everything you want!”
Romi staggered back, her breath hitching. Her voice cracked—
“What?! Joy… you… you lied to me?! Sonal… was it you who…”
For a fleeting second, something flickered in Joy’s eyes—guilt, betrayal… and then, a dangerous silence.
He didn’t answer.
Instead, in a sudden frenzy, he brought the wooden handle of the axe crashing down on the old man’s head.
THUD!
The old man collapsed. Unconscious.
Silence spread through the night.
But Joy’s eyes had changed. Blood stained his hands, and the axe clung tightly to his grip.
Slowly, he turned. Step by step… he moved toward Romi.
His voice, low and whisper-like, slithered out—
“Romi… don’t run… I won’t hurt you…”
But Romi had already seen it in his eyes—that glint, that madness.
She didn’t wait.
Screaming, she spun around and bolted into the darkness.
“Nooooo!!”
Branches clawed at her face and arms, but she didn’t stop. Tears blurred her vision.
Behind her, Joy stood still in the shadows. The axe dangled in his hand. His breaths were heavy, his face eerily calm.
The forest held its breath. The trees, the rustling wind—everything stood witness to the deepening mystery.
Countinue.......
By Pooja Kumari
