The Dark Side: Anthology of Short Stories exploring the dark side

The Kasauli Killings

In the serene, mist-clad town of Kasauli, a quiet hill station in Himachal Pradesh, fear had taken root. The tranquility of pine forests and quaint colonial bungalows was shattered by a string of gruesome murders. Random victims-residents and tourists alike-found dead in cold blood, with no apparent connection between them. The local police were stumped, unable to find a pattern or motive, until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was called in.

Officer Ahalya Roy, 32, a specialist in handling cases involving serial killers, was dispatched to lead the investigation. Known for her sharp intuition and relentless pursuit of justice, she arrived in Kasauli with a single goal: to stop the monster lurking among them.

The rain had just begun to drizzle when Ahalya sat at her desk in the small Kasauli police station, going through the files for the hundredth time. There was no link, no discernible reason behind the killings. Just brutality and chaos. Her sharp eyes traced over the photographs, trying to spot something new, something overlooked.

Suddenly, a timid voice interrupted her concentration.

"Madam...?" Ahalya looked up to see a boy, no older than nine, standing in the doorway. He was small, with dark eyes filled with anxiety. His school uniform looked damp from the rain, and his shoes were caked in mud.

"Yes?" she asked, setting aside the papers. "Who are you?"

"My name is Sahil," the boy replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I need to talk to you... alone."

Ahalya gestured to one of the junior officers to give them space. She leaned forward, sensing something strange. "Sahil, you're safe here. What do you want to talk about?"

For a moment, the boy hesitated, as if gathering courage. His hands trembled, and he gripped the chair tightly. "It's... it's about the murders."

Ahalya straightened, her professional demeanor masking the sudden surge of curiosity. "You know something?"

The boy nodded, looking down at his shoes, his voice shaking. "I know who did it."

Ahalya's heart skipped a beat, but she maintained her composure. "Who, Sahil? Who's behind all this?"

Sahil's lips trembled, and he blinked back tears before he whispered, "My dad."

For a moment, the world stood still. Ahalya wasn't sure she heard him right. She leaned forward. "Your dad? How do you know that?"

Sahil looked up at her, and in his eyes, Ahalya saw a mix of fear, guilt, and something far deeper-shame. "I... I saw him. One night... in the bakery."

As Sahil spoke, the memory flooded his mind.

It had been late, well past Sahil's bedtime, but he had woken up thirsty. He tiptoed downstairs towards the kitchen when he noticed light spilling from the bakery. His father, whom everyone in Kasauli adored as the kind baker, was in there, talking to someone. Curious, Sahil peeked through the glass door.

Inside, he saw his dad with a woman-a familiar face-his school teacher. Miss Rekha had been kind to him, always giving him extra marks for neat handwriting. She was laughing at first, but something changed. His dad had pulled out a knife. A long, glistening knife.

Sahil froze in place, unable to move, to scream. He watched in horror as his father's hand came down swiftly, and the laughter turned into a muffled scream. Blood splattered the clean floors of the bakery. His father, with terrifying precision, began cutting. Sahil didn't understand at first. It wasn't just killing. His father was taking something from her-organs.

The shock of what he saw rendered Sahil silent for days. But each time he passed the bakery, the image of his teacher's face flashed before his eyes. And then he started connecting the dots: the strange packages his father would send off, the visitors who would come late at night, the way his father seemed distant after the killings started.

Back in the present, Ahalya listened, her mind racing. She carefully asked, "Sahil, are you sure? This is very important. Your father... runs the bakery on the main street, right?"

Sahil nodded, tears finally streaming down his face. "Yes, I saw it, I saw him do it. And Miss Rekha... she didn't come to school after that."

Ahalya's heart ached for the boy sitting in front of her. It was almost unthinkable-a nine-year-old discovering something so monstrous about his own father. "Sahil, why didn't you come sooner?"

"I was scared..." he stammered. "He's my dad, and I didn't know what to do. But... but I can't keep quiet anymore. What if he hurts more people?"

Ahalya took a deep breath. The boy was brave, more than he realized. She had handled many difficult cases, but this-this was something else. A child torn between love and terror, standing on the edge of innocence and darkness.

"Listen to me, Sahil," she said gently. "You've done the right thing by coming here. Now, we will make sure no one else gets hurt. But I need your help."

The boy sniffled, wiping his tears. "What do I do?"

"We're going to keep you safe. I'll need you to tell me everything you know-about your dad, his business, everything strange you've noticed."

As the investigation unfolded, it became clear that Sahil's father wasn't just a baker. He was involved in organ trading-a sinister operation where victims were killed for their organs, sold to the highest bidder. The bakery was a front, a place to meet clients and dispose of bodies.

Ahalya worked tirelessly to build the case, using Sahil's testimony to gather evidence. But as they delved deeper, the danger grew. His father, realizing something was wrong, began to grow suspicious.

One night, in a chilling confrontation, Ahalya and her team cornered Sahil's father in the bakery. The smell of freshly baked bread mixed sickeningly with the metallic tang of blood that clung to the walls in hidden corners. He was arrested, and the full scope of his crimes was revealed.

Sahil watched from afar as his father was taken away, the man who had taught him how to knead dough, who had tucked him in at night. But Sahil had learned that sometimes, monsters wore familiar faces.

In the weeks that followed, Sahil struggled with guilt, but Ahalya was there, checking on him often, reminding him of his courage. She helped him understand that what he did-what he had gone through-was more than most adults could bear. Yet, in his innocence, he had chosen the right path.

And in a way, it was Sahil who saved Kasauli.

The shadows that had loomed over Kasauli began to lift, but for Sahil, it would be a long time before the nightmares stopped. Yet in his young heart, he knew that, just as Ahalya had said, sometimes the bravest thing one can do is tell the truth-even when it's about the people we love.