Daughters of Kalika by @Shivran86

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Maya, a journalist, finds herself in the middle of a religious panic when a prostitute she had met is found to be murdered.

Blurb

Maya has been tasked with writing something about the folks of Devipuram for the upcoming puja magazine. She decides to visit the slums where the prostitutes live. There she meets Radha– a beautiful prostitute with a daughter.

The very next day, Radha is found dead in the temple premises.

And what the villagers label as the next-in-line in a chain of paranormal murders is a magnetic mystery in the life of Maya which tempts her to get to the root of this cruelty. Will she succeed in finding out the culprit or succumb to death like the five victims? 

~Chapter One~

No Black Cats and Hooting Owls

The goddess lives amongst the poor, the greedy and the rich.

*  *  *  *

Lightning poured out from the crevices of the sky like a string of lava sewn into the skin of the milky way. Mother Kali had been put to sleep with the help of a lullaby.

They blew out the candle, watching the smoke spiral into non-existence.

"Sleep well, Maa."

They were to close the door and leave the temple, but a voice stopped them.

"The sixth shall come to Devipuram soon."

Their fingers paused before latching the door. "Before the fifth is sacrificed?"

"Yes."

They chuckled. "Were you playing with the mind of a human? I guess so; you are pulling her here."

"She will walk to her own death."

"And I shall be her doom." They bolted the door and hurried towards the stairs.

"But beware, she is the namesake of the Devi. She must not be told about the fourth."

A dusty breeze aroused the anger of Devipuram's soil. They memorised the warning.

"She shines too bright, so much that it blinds me."

They turned back towards the temple, smirking at the ancient abode. They knew no one could stop them and their master was being worrisome for futile.

"She glows red, like the eyes of Kalika."

*  *  *  *

The namesake of the Devi had come to Devipuram.

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