The Cursed Shell

37

The yacht called Wendigo had almost covered the half of the distance between Southern India and Sri Lanka. Dhawan's location seemed to be very close now. Brute, Dunkirk, Stain and Krystene were circled around the tracking device, whereas, Crunchy was lying on a carpet on the floor.

Now you must be thinking - why the hell did Dunkirk bring Brute and Krystene there on the yacht? Would it be considered wise to bring kids on such a mission?

Well, this is because a few minutes before they boarded the yacht, an unknown number's message was received by Dunkirk's cell-phone.

It's Josh. Everyone who was a part of this case should be on that yacht which you're going to board very soon. I know you will be boarding Wendigo as it is the only yacht at the time which is sailing from the path which is very near to the place where I am. I already knew that there's somewhere a tracker in Dhawan's body, and I was sure that he was going to ask you to trace him. Don't ask how I know that. You'll get to know that soon. And yes, if I'm saying that everyone should board the yacht, it means I'm including those two kids and that cat too.

"I'm still wondering how Josh and Dhawan are so deep under the sea", Brute said. No-one had any idea about that.

Dunkirk's phone started ringing. He fished it out of his pocket and looked at its screen. "It's Joshua Lamb."

Everyone's attention was now on that phone.

Dunkirk accepted the call and kept it on speaker-mode.

"I was sure you would not be able to deny this call", Josh laughed.

"Is Dhawan with you?" Dunkirk immediately asked.

"Agent Dunkirk, please," Josh said, "I know you don't give a shit about Dhawan. You're not here for him. You're here as you were appointed for finding the killer of the scholars by the CIA. How silly Dhawan was to think that Brute was the only person to notice the pattern of their deaths. And don't ask how I know that, you'll get to know that soon. And yes, now you'll ask why I've phoned you."

Dunkirk sighed and spoke after a few seconds. "Why have you phoned me?"

"You'll thank me as I'm going to make your journey shorter," Josh said. "Come out and stand at the edge of the boat if you want to meet me."

Everyone exchanged glances and rushed out till the edge of the boat.

"Now what?" Dunkirk asked.

"You'll get to know that soon", Josh chuckled and hung up.

Dunkirk suddenly felt a needle being inserted into his neck and vision slowly faded. Then he felt himself being pushed down towards the water.

'The defensive weapons won't work if the cameras don't see me', Dhawan thought and broke the nearest CCTV camera outside the holy room with his spear. Then to ensure safety, he waved his spear in front of the defensive weapon hung on the wall, but it didn't shoot.

Dhawan gave a smile. And using the spear as a supporting stick, he started walking ahead. He walked for almost three minutes and then another room appeared. He disabled the CCTV camera of that room, which was rotating around in three-sixty degrees, with his spear. Then he entered the room and crossed his eye-brows. "I just came out of this room." The room had a pillar at the middle which paintings depicting the Samudra Manthan, had several religious paintings, and was decorated with candles and Diyas.

He went out of the room, looked at both of his sides and started walking opposite to the way he came from.

'It's possible that I walked in a circle and came back to the room', he thought.

He walked for another six minutes and he reached in front of another room. He disabled the room's CCTV and entered. "What the-" It was again the same room.

'Wait a second,' Dhawan thought with his eye-brows crossed. 'I had disabled this room's CCTV last time too.'

This time he scratched the letter 'A' on the room's wall with his spear and walked out of the room.

Now he walked for another two minutes and another room was in front of him. He again disabled its camera and entered the room. He looked at the wall. He smiled as he couldn't see the letter 'A' on it. 

He understood everything. There were several rooms in the undersea tower which looked alike and had the replica of the same paintings and statues and were decorated in the same way. Josh just wanted to confuse Dhawan in a maze.

Dhawan drew the letter 'B' on the wall and went out. And then he scratched the letter 'C' in the next room, and 'D' in the next, and so on.

Brute slowly opened his eyes when his consciousness came back. The last thing what he remembered was feeling a needle being inserted into his neck and then being pushed down from the yacht and then nothing.

He looked around himself. He was in a room decorated with candles and Diyas. There was a pillar at the middle of the room which had paintings depicting the Samudra Manthan and he could see many religious paintings and statues all around the room. He was tied on a wheelchair. And beside him were Krystene, Thomas Dunkirk and Duke Stain tied in the same way. He could see six men in front of him dressed in some kind of water-proof suits. Brute was feeling cold as he was wet with water soaked by all of his clothes.

"So, are all my parcels here?" said Josh as he entered the room.

"Yes, we want as much money as you promised", said a man among those six men.

"Of course, you'll get that!" Josh said and pulled a pistol out and shot on that man's forehead after which he fell down on the floor.

Brute and Krystene closed their eyes.

Josh shot four more men from that group and then aimed the pistol on the last man.

"Please don't kill me," the man begged and raised both of his arms as a sign of surrender, "I don't need the money. Just leave me, please."

"Your sinful soul must be released for the Hell", Josh said and shot. The man fell down, dead.

Then Josh turned towards Brute and others. He smiled for a moment and then crossed his eye-brows. "Where's the cat?"

"He's still on the yacht", Brute said.

"Shit!" Josh muttered. After a few seconds, he said, "It's okay. You all are enough for me."

"What do you want?" Dunkirk asked.

"You'll get to know that soon", Josh said and walked out of the room.