The Haunted Fortress of Bhangarh: Book 1

62. Rendevouz at the crematorium

Rudra woke up with a start, and his eyes flew open. Shivering and breathing hard, gulping and raking his hands through his damp hair, he tried to calm his racing heart down. Glimpsing around himself, he realized he had fallen asleep on Ranvir's bed with the guy sprawled on the floor while Ayush was still sitting at the study table with his head atop a stack of books. Both were snoring lightly and simultaneously, and Rudra recollected how the utterly spent and exhausted trio couldn't help but slip into a slumber amidst their study session.

He also recollected the dreams with stark clarity. In the first one, she had offered Raghuveer all the riches in the world if he were to abandon Chitra. It sounded like he rejected the offer, but Rudra was no longer sure if he was as courageous as his past self to not barter with the ghost because the second dream had him rattled to the core. She was capable of ruining him exactly the way he had pictured it, and he needed to barter with her right away to ensure the horrific nightmare wouldn't turn into a reality. He needed to save his family and friends no matter what.

***

Through the cold air on a frigid December evening, his bike continued its onward journey down the road. He categorically didn't know which address he wished to go towards, but his feet and his motorbike did have a mind of their own as he swerved the vehicle on crossings and intersections. He had no clue how he knew where the spirit was, but then he was well aware.

The city had gone off to sleep, and the empty roads were proof of the lateness of the evening. Shops were shut, traffic signals blinked in tandem at lanes devoid of public, and even the street dogs were huddled in a corner to keep themselves warm in the dipping temperatures. He meandered via the numerous side roads before reaching a sparsely populated locality. A few houses dotted the landscape on one side of the single-handed bumpy road while the other was an expanse of infertile arid land without any vegetation.

His bike halted in front of a particularly dark spot sans street lamps where one of the vehicle's tires dipped in a pothole. Hopping off the two-wheeler, he took a deep sigh as he peered at the metal gate in front of him—as high as him but with iron rods comprising the rusted entrance and facilitating him to take a peek inside. Not that anything beyond the muddy path near the entryway was perceptible in the absolute darkness.

He trembled due to the cold and the slight fear he experienced. With his phone's torchlight illuminating the path in front of him, he pushed the door open. It creaked and the two panes parted. Quivering, he drew his jacket closer and stepped foot inside the crematorium. Although he clutched onto the holy red thread Ishita had him wear, he couldn't help but feel vulnerable and exposed as he ambled down the gravelly pavement. Again, his feet seemed to think on his behalf as he continued venturing inside with the kind of chivalry he didn't know he had the capability of mustering.

A few pyres were still burning at the far end of the rectangular piece of land, and the light from the dying fire provided some illumination. He was prompted into stuffing the phone inside his jeans pocket as he switched off the torch.

A ragged breath escaped his lips. "Kalavati? I am here. That's what you wanted, right?" He spun at his spot to see if could sense the lady in red anywhere in the vicinity, but she was nowhere to be found. "Kalavati?" He raised his voice, clasping his fingers together to garner more courage. "I don't have much time. Tell me what you want."

She popped in front of him, hovering in midair, the red veil drawn up to her chipped noise while the ghoulish smirk was visible on her features. "Raghuveer, how are you?"

Though slightly astounded, he managed to scoff. "Not in the mood to exchange pleasantries. Why was I drawn to this place? What is it that you want to say to me? And above all," he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, "why did you try to harm my mother?"