NIHAR ( HILL OF DEAD )

7-1

(7)

 As the clock slowly approached  6:00 pm, anticipation filled the air. Minds were racing with countless unanswered questions, and the pressure of the impending meeting was pushing everyone to their limits. However, amidst the chaos, a glimmer of hope remained, fueling their determination to make it through the ordeal unscathed.
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5:50 pm

After Ira informed everyone about the time, they all prepared themselves for the meeting and the exciting things that were about to happen. They exited the dining room and gathered in front of it. Ira held onto the box tightly, not wanting to leave it behind in the dining hall."Where should I put it, Alida?" Ira asked, seeking guidance."We're heading straight to the Bhavan. As for the box, you can put it in your dorm room. Take someone with you and join us in the Bhavan," Alida ordered, making it clear what Ira needed to do. Ira scanned the group and then pointed her finger towards someone. "You come with me," she said. To my surprise, she was referring to me. I raised my finger and pointed at myself, questioning, "Me?"
"Come on, Ayama, we'll be late if we don't hurry," she urged, handing me the box and pulling me along by my hand.
"Oh, wait," I exclaimed, almost tripping over a rock. However, she paid no attention and continued to drag me towards the dorm.
"Are Ayama and Ira getting closer?" Aashwith asked, raising the question.
"It's just your imagination. Let's go to the Bhavan, we don't want to be late," Rai intervened, taking the lead and starting to walk ahead. Disregarding what had just occurred, everyone followed Rai's lead and began to follow her.

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" Hey! Slow down Ira"
Ira who was pulling me without any regard stopped with an abrupt change of pace.
She let go of my hand.
" I'm sorry, it was immature of me," Ira said without looking at me but I sensed it, in her voice which
is starting to crack a bit.
I take her hand and start to walk towards the dorm
" It's fine, I'm here."
Even though Ira is an excellent maid, she's still a human.
(Maybe I pushed her too far with the discussion facade.) I thought to myself
In response, she tightened her grip on my hand.
" Just let me grab it for this once." I felt her taking deep breaths.
" You can hold it as long as you want, it's here for you till you feel better," I say to reassure her and to calm her nerves down.

" Your hand is rough yet some softness still lingers in it. It's a bit larger than mine but it feels
oddly safe." Ira who was walking behind me started to tell me what came to her mind without any filter.
I listened to her till we reached the dorm.
Ira took the box and entered her room while I waited for her outside the room.
The sun was setting down and the night as black as a raven was coming to lay in the absence of
Sun with thousands of dimly twinkling sparks of the night.
The scene was truly mesmerizing
As if a painter just lays down all the colors on the canvas to make his best work, one masterpiece
which holds his very soul.
While I was watching the sky, a hand grabbed my shoulder.
" It's beautiful isn't it ?" Ira who was holding my shoulder said
" Yes, it is," I said as there was nothing more to say.
" I hope we would have met under different circumstances. One where we all were free of this."
Ira expressed her thoughts.
" If it wasn't for this, we would have never met. " I hate to break her delusion but it's better for her.
She didn't say anything in response
" Should we go?" I asked her without looking and then she squeezed my shoulder as a way to say
yes.
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After putting the box in Ira's room, Ira and I reached the bhavan.
" It's as eerie as I remembered," Ira remarked
I opened the gates of Bhavan and saw everyone waiting for us.
" That was faster than I expected" Aparna was the first one to notice our presence.
I look at my watch and it's true, we reached the Bhavan 2 minutes before the meeting.
It must be because Ira rushed me to walk faster, at one point she even started running.
" Well we are just fast, aren't we ?" Ira tried to cover it up or more like she's telling them the truth
which they aren't going to consider.
"Fine, come here it's going to start soon"
Aashwith, who didn't hear anything that Ira said, advised her to join.
When I and Ira joined the fray then the real main task of the day came in motion.
The screen which was hanging in the center of the hall lit up.
Just like yesterday, it was waiting to expose new things to us
A screen designed to crush our hope and fill us with only one thing, A desire to kill.
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"Good killings my diamonds in making"
The one behind the screen, the masked guy said.
No one returned the greeting.
" How cold of you all. My heart is fragile, you know."