Secrets And Lies [Completed]

19. the lady killer

Song of the chapter is All The Things Lost by MS MR

-19-
-Himanshu Arora-
-Present-

___________

Arora Residence
15 November, 2030
12:34 pm

"What?"

Her question landed on me with an impact that I had been fearing for the past few hours. I knew she wasn't going to be easy to convince, not after what she had witnessed.

For me, it was the repetition of a nightmare. For her, it was something out of the blue.

"What do you mean you're not gonna go back to Mumbai after all that's happened in the past 12 hours?" Dhrashti asked, her words laced in disbelief. She sat across from me on the leather couch that my mom had replaced the old ottoman with.

Naturally, I had expected this kind of a reaction. Her being angry or flabbergasted at the idea of not leaving town despite having a killer on the loose was not wrong.

"Himanshu, are you out of your damn mind?!" She asked, glowering at me. "Did you not see what happened to those four men yesterday?"

I sighed, drawing in a deep breath.

"Dhrashti, you know.... it's nothing I haven't seen before."

That was partly true. While I had seen my fair share of mutilated bodies and bloodshed, the killings of yesterday had left a deep indentation on my mind. That was something I could never unsee. It was such a graphic picture, that even if I did want to forget it, I wouldn't be able to.

"So? How does that make it better?!" She raised her voice and now it sounded all loud and squeaky. She crossed her arms around her chest as she kept her glare on me. "If anything, you should not wanna be here after everything you've been through in the past. Doesn't it bring back all those memories?"

It did. But I was too proud to admit that.

"I'm not saying.... I wanna stay." I paraphrased. "I'm saying is that.... unfortunately, I'm left with no choice but to not leave town."

"For what?" She stood up, annoyance etched on her face. "Is it because your friends? Cause they wanna play heroes once again and save the town?"

"Dhrashti, I already told you they don't have a choice either. They're being framed by someone and can't leave town until the suspicion gets off them." I explained.

"Exactly! It's a 'them' problem, not a 'you' problem." She retorted, taking a step towards me. "Why are you insisting on this so much, Himanshu? You aren't a suspect, you're free to leave town! Why won't you take that chance?"

"They're my friends, Dhrashti." I deadpanned, slightly taken aback by her lack of empathy for anyone around her. "And even if not for them, I can't leave my parents here alone.... knowing that there is a killer on the loose."