THE DARK

The First Scream

It was an frightening sound. His shriek echoed everywhere. Then I saw blood spurting from his leg. His leg was soon in a pool of blood. And from it emerged an ant. An ant! Means an ant bit his leg in such a manner that blood came out. Was it an ant or a Tyrannosaurus? And was Anjakarim a super-powerful spirit-controller saint or a kindergarten kid? Can't he see and walk. First step and he is half-dead. Now, if he take another step then an American jet will appear from nowhere and throw an atom bomb over him. I started looking at other's expression. Kate was watching with her eyes wide in shock. Nancy too. But Sam was laughing silently. Now, he was making another joke. But it wasn't an simple matter. The people who had come here to drop our luggage, now started to go back hurriedly. And who will wait? But, it was an disadvantage since we had to carry our luggage to our rooms. Now, I had to be a little attentive. Then Anjakarim shook himself and said-

"It's FINE. I was not prepared."

My heart wish was now to say that- 'Have you done your life-insurance?' Then Sam quickly slid beside me and said-

"Do you know what am I thinking."

"I don't know but I can assure myself that you are going to tell me a joke."

"Well, you have become quite smart by living with me. Do you know what Cumberbatch will do now?"

"No, What?"

"He will now go after the whole species of that ant family. He will follow that type of ants, put his head into one of their burrows, get bitten and then run like a foolish pig. When asked about his foolishness he will say- 'That is a part of the Experiment.' I wonder if he was an botanist living in jungles, then his milkman would had to deliver milk 2 days at his residence and 28 days at the City Hospital. How his wife manages him, I can't understand."

"Will you two carry your luggage and get into the house or talk throughout the day standing here?" Nancy said interrupting.

"Yeah, coming." declared Sam and we started scuffling with our luggage.

Anjakarim started unlocking the door. Everyone, as I thought, was waiting for another disaster with him. It did happen. As he swayed open the door, a bat came from inside the house, hit Anjakarim on his face and jumped on Cumberbatch's luggage which he frighteningly dropped on his legs and started to scowl like a dog.

"Pair of crooks." I muttered under my breath. Well, the spirit too knows who is a crook and is trying to eliminate them first. Good plan. 

"Well, it's after me. Let it be." announced Anjakarim. 

I would have liked to add that - 'Because you are a crook.' He is trying to give himself an air of importance. How I would have love to have Media here. Then they would have said - 'Anjakarim, the great-spirit controller, is now tottering with a scratch of a bat and the bite of an ant on his leg. 

Thomas managed to get inside amidst of all these drama and switched on all the lights. Never in my life, I had seen that amount of light. Even my pocket torch gave better light than this. I started to feel happy that I had brought three torches with me. 

"So" enunciated Cumberbatch breaking the silence, "According to this paper, there are 23 rooms downstairs and 28 upstairs." vocalized Cumberbatch hardly being able to read. "Downstairs, there is  also a living room, a kitchen, a hall and a dining room. According to the details given here, we are in hall now. This front room is the living room, behind that is kitchen and drawing room. Then the series of rooms and in middle a set of stairs that will lead us to upstairs. The Room just..... David, could you lit a torch? My eyes are paining by reading in this dim light."

David lit a torch.

"That's better. So, the Room just behind drawing room is Room 1 and after that 2,3,4, and so on. Room 1 will be used by our caretakers, so that room is locked now. Room 2 is mine, 3 David, 4 Lisa, 5 is our testing room, 6 Anjakarim, 7 Thomas, 8 Susy, 9 Saint's testing room, 10 Nancy, 11 Kate, 12 Sam and 13th Lionel's and 14th is yours testing room. Here take your keys." And saying so, he handed 4 keys to Anjakarim and 5 keys to Nancy, who gave us our Room keys. 

"Dinner has already arrived. You all go and freshen yourself, my leg is paining too much. I think it's swollen. Bulbs are already fixed and if you want more light candles are provided and I also hope you'll had brought candles and torches with you."

"Yes" Sam said and started going towards his room. I too started walking towards my room. But before that, I waited to see whether another disaster will happen or not. But, this time it didn't happen and Anjakarim for the first time, safely crossed a door. I feeling exhausted, started proceeding towards my room. To my surprise, the door was already unlocked and when I threw the door wide open, I saw a man.. almost of my age, carrying a pair of garments in his hand. His face was not clearly visible. With a surprise, I realized that he was advancing towards me. Suddenly it opened his mouth and said-

"Lio, is that you?"

"Is it you Sam?"

"Yeah Bro. What happened?"

"No... nothing...." saying this, I stared at the template above the room. 'Room 12.' Oh, so I am the one who is mistaken. Well, the spirit tricked me so easily. It was just a chilly experience and of course, humiliating. I unlocked my room and went in. I switched on its bulbs. 

"What a poor quality bulb! Who the hell had provided us such a bad quality bulb!" I muttered angrily to myself, put my bag on the table and lied down. The bed was quite comfortable. I wanted to lie there the whole night. But my stomach made a desperate cry for food. Generally when a person is hungry and something isn't perfect, he will scowl at it. Here the bulb was the imperfect thing. I thought why did one buy such a bulb at all? Or the wires made with plastic? Thinking about the bulb, I got up and started to walk. I climbed the upstairs and reached the second floor. There was no bulb here. Everything was totally dark. I took my torch out of my pocket and turned it on. I started walking again. But then I realized a horrifying thing. This torch I bought on the way to this house and hadn't put any battery in it. How was it working? With this, I opened the torch cover. NO BATTERY. BUT WORKING PERFECTLY. And I looked up again. Then I saw something which was inexpressible. It was the outline of an human body. Only I can see the eyes. Totally white. Nothing else. Suddenly that black creature, (or rather human) jumped on me.  Never in my life I felt so scared. I began to shout "Save me! Save me! Sam! Nancy! Kate! Where are you all?! Save me! Save me! Save me! Save me! 

Save me! Save me! I woke up shouting. Screaming. Scowling. Whatever you like to say. In front of me Sam was standing. In a tape he was playing the song 'Save Me' by BTS. He switched off the tape and said- "Which fairy did you see, baby?" 

I answered nothing. Embarrassment shown upon my face. Sam has no work except of watching me. Foolish guy. I will see him. 

"Get up and quickly change. Everybody is at the dining table." 

I got up and freshened myself. Soon I was stuffing some very quality dinner. So large was the dining table that even sitting one chair apart, we were not able to occupy even half of it. After dinner, I went into my room and started to read a book. I bought a new iPod on the way but only a few of my favourite songs were in it. Feeling miserable, I continued to read my book and soon fall asleep. 

After sometime, I stirred. Why I didn't know. Everything seemed to be perfect and there was silence prevailing too. Then how? Maybe it is too dark here so I couldn't see the morning's daylight. But if it was morning, then why there is silence? But soon my doubts were cleared. I heard a terrifying scream. It almost rumbled the house. But remembering my last outing, or rather to say dream, with the fairy.. I mean spirit, this Sam puts stupid things in my mind,  I didn't wanted to get up. I covered my ears with the blanket and tried to sleep. But then I heard another bloodcurdling scream. From this scream, two more questions were cleared. Firstly it was coming from upstairs and secondly, the voice was familiar. I have heard it somewhere. But where? I didn't want to fall in the trap. But now, I heard another and the fiercest scream ever in my life. With a sudden jerk of my body, I now realized that this was the scream of Lucy. LUCY! I ran to the door and before me 3 to 4 four people have assembled there already including Sam, Kate and Nancy. 

"From where did the voice come?" asked Thomas.

"I am not able to figure out." replied Nancy.

"I think it's from upstairs." I replied.

"The door is not opening." said Kate. "I think it's locked from inside." 

"OK, I have an plan. I, Lionel and Thomas are going upstairs. Sam, Kate, Susy you try to open the door. Maybe the spirit has locked it from inside and Lucy is upstairs." vocalized Nancy.

"Maybe Lucy is inside and spirit is calling us upstairs."  interrupted Sam. 

"Then only three will die. It's better you'll stay here." 

With this we'll marched upstairs. It was totally dark. Nancy, I and Thomas all opened our torches. Slowly and slowly the last dream was occupying my mind. Was it future? Or was this an illusion? I can't be sure about anything. But a problem was here too. I and Nancy knew how to keep in touch during these times. But Thomas knew nothing about us. And soon he was lost. We began to look here and there. But not even a clue was there. I found his torch on the floor. And we started running downstairs. It was a wrong move according to our rules. But we were too terrified to think about it. And when we reached downstairs, all the lights were off. 

"Sam?" I called out. "Kate?" 

No answer. I was really scared and also sweating with fear. Were everyone dead? What to do? I looked at Nancy. She was looking here and there without any hope. Suddenly I heard a telephone ring. 

"Did you brought your phone?" asked Nancy.

"Even if I had brought my phone, there is no tower." 

"Then.." and we both turned back to see whose phone it was. 


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------