The End Of Us

Chapter 6

I was sitting on the bed, wondering where Manik and his family could be. It was strange-how could an entire family disappear without a trace? Even the caretaker was clueless about their whereabouts.

Suddenly, I heard Aryaman screaming for help.

What could have happened to him now? I quickly unbolted my door and went to see what was wrong. Soon, Abhimanyu, Mukti, Dhruv, and Harshad came running upstairs, their faces etched with concern.

"What's happening? Is everything alright?" Dhruv asked, his voice filled with worry.

Navya and Cabir dashed out of their room too, clearly alarmed.

"What's going on? Whose voice was that?" Navya asked anxiously.

"I think it was Aryaman who was screaming," I replied, my heart pounding.

We all hurried to Aryaman's room, but the door was locked from the inside.

"Arya, what's going on? Are you alright?" Harshad called out, banging on the door.

Finally, Aryaman opened the door and rushed out. He hugged Harshad tightly, his eyes wide with fear.

"There's a little girl in my room," he blurted out.

"Are you still under the effect of booze," Navya questioned, wrinkling her nose at the faint smell of alcohol on Aryaman's breath as he spoke.

"Guys, I'm telling the truth. I saw a small girl in there. She had a doll in her hands," Aryaman insisted, his voice trembling with fear.

"Aryaman, are you sure you're seeing things clearly? First a woman on the terrace, now a little girl in your bedroom?" Abhimanyu chuckled skeptically.

"Please, someone believe me. There really is a little girl in there," Aryaman pleaded.

"Okay, show us where this girl is," Dhruv inquired.

"She's under the bed," Aryaman reiterated.

With careful steps, Dhruv and Cabir entered the dimly lit bedroom, their eyes scanning the floor as they knelt to check under the bed.

"Did you find anyone?" Mukti called out from the doorway.

Dhruv and Cabir exchanged a puzzled look, shaking their heads.

"No, there's no one here," they confirmed.

Aryaman exclaimed, "But I saw her! She was right there!" he protested.

"Aryaman, enough with these pranks. We're exhausted. We need to rest," Abhimanyu admonished, and we reluctantly dispersed to our respective rooms.

I settled into bed, hoping for uninterrupted sleep, only to be jolted awake by Aryaman's frantic cries.

"Help------ Help------"

Frustration surged within me. "Can't he let us sleep peacefully?" I muttered under my breath.

I checked the time on my bedside clock-it was four in the morning.

I climbed out of bed and headed outside to see what had happened. Aryaman sat on the staircase, tears streaming down his cheeks. Soon, Mukti, Abhimanyu, Harshad, Dhruv, Cabir, and Navya came running.

"Now, who did you see, Aryaman?" Dhruv asked, irritation evident in his voice as he folded his arms across his chest.

Aryaman's eyes darted around anxiously before he spoke, his voice shaky with fear.

"That little girl... she grabbed my neck. She's going to kill me-please, you have to believe me," he pleaded, his hands trembling.

Mukti scoffed, "Stop tormenting us with your nonsense, Aryaman. This isn't funny."

Abhimanyu sighed deeply, exhaustion etched on his face. "Arya, it's early morning. We need to rest. Enough with these pranks."

Aryaman pleaded. "I'm not joking. That room is haunted, I'm sure of it. Go and see for yourselves. There's a bloody handprint on the blanket," he insisted.

Dhruv entered the room and returned with the blanket held out in his hand.

"There's nothing on the blanket, not a single stain," he announced, showing it to Aryaman and the rest of us.

Aryaman's face fell in disbelief. "This...this is impossible. After you all left, I went to sleep. I was woken up by knocking from inside the closet. When I opened it, a small girl lunged at me. I fell onto the bed, and she grabbed my neck, choking me. I pushed her away and ran out," Aryaman told us, his voice trembling with fear and confusion.

"So, you're saying someone knocked from inside the closet, and then this girl attacked you?" I asked, trying to make sense of his eerie tale.

Aryaman nodded vigorously.

"Seriously, which horror movie did you watch recently?" I questioned angrily, struggling to comprehend his bizarre story.

"I swear, Nandani, I haven't watched any horror movies, and I'm not playing a prank," Aryaman said.

"Get him some lime juice, he's clearly still drunk," Mukti snapped, her frustration evident.

"I am sober, guys, I swear," Aryaman protested, as he tried to convince us.

"You don't seem sober. You're talking nonsense," Abhimanyu chimed in.

"Stop consuming alcohol, mate," Dhruv suggested bluntly, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Guys, I'm sorry on his behalf. You all should sleep now. Aryaman, I'll stay with you tonight," Harshad said.

Each one of us went back to our rooms, while Harshad went with Aryaman to his.

Feeling tired, I lay down on my bed and stifled a yawn. I pulled the blanket over my face.

"I am not going to wake up now, no matter what," I muttered before turning off the lights.