LOVE & REVENGE

Chapter 6: John's mysterious death

If the driver had not pulled him away, the snake could have bitten him.

Those, who had gathered to watch, screamed in panic and made a hasty retreat to avoid being bitten by the snakes.

The merchandise of the vendors surrounding the square, which largely consisted of incense sticks, statues, and rosaries, were strewn to the ground, some were broken beneath people's feet, and destroyed by the throng.

The Maharajah, who was angry with Albert, returned the snakes to the baskets.

Charles was standing in fear next to a cart used to sell street food, whose owner had fled the scene out of fear for his life. At this point, he noticed a large snake with yellow spots on its body beneath the cart and staring at him.

Charles stared at the snake while the situation at this point was chaotic and people were running in all directions. He was unable to breathe properly due to fear. He swallowed his saliva and stared in horror at the snake, his eyes bulging out of its sockets. In spite of his lack of belief in them, Charles was terrified of the old legends. He was still staring at the snake as it made its way through the horrified crowd and toward the nearby temple.

The driver, who was upset by Albert's irresponsible behavior, told them that they should leave as soon as possible because that runaway snake might harm them. So, they hurried to the car's parking spot in the alley, got in, and the driver drove off in the direction of the Taj Mahal. 

When they first saw the Taj Mahal and its magnificence, they quickly forgot about the snake and began to chuckle at Albert's humorous remarks. It was late at night when they returned to the hotel after admiring the Taj Mahal's beauty. Each of them walked to their rooms and hit the shower to relieve the fatigue from a day full of thrills.

Having showered, Charles went to the lobby of the hotel to have some coffee. Mark sat next to him while sipping wine, but John and Albert, who were tired, called it the day and retired early.

At around two in the morning, everyone was roused from sleep by someone screaming that was so loud that it roused guests on that floor as well as the nearby floors, and scrambled out of their rooms to inquire about the screaming.

Charles and Albert realized that the screaming originated from John's room. They immediately ran to him but the door was locked as John was screaming for help.

The hotel manager came along with a few staff. They quickly opened the room with a spare key and saw a heartbreaking scene - John lying in the middle of the room in his pajamas. They noticed that the window of his room was open as the lace curtain fluttered in the breeze.

When Charles and Albert finally entered John's room, they found him on the floor. The hotel manager put his finger on John's neck and after a moment, pronounced him dead.

Everyone was shocked to hear the news. Charles immediately went to the window and looked out from there, but saw nothing suspicious, everything seemed normal.

When Mark came, he sat by John's lifeless body and wept while Albert was stunned. The guests became more terrified.

The cause of John's death was unknown. Because of his phobia of snakes, John's friends speculated that he might have had a heart attack. But why did he scream if it was a heart attack?