"Marking by Darkness"
Ruhi's life has always been overshadowed by something dark. A haunting presence, a cursed bungalow, and the lingering ghost of her twin sister, threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. But when a mysterious figure from th...
The doorbell rang, and I hurried to open it. I wasn't expecting visitors, and my mind was still swirling from the conversation with Ruhan. As the door opened, Esha stood there with a somber expression.
"Esha?" I said, surprised.
Ruhi- What are you doing here at this hour? Esha- I... have bad news.
Esha replied, her voice unusually low.
Before I could ask more, Ruhan came down the stairs. Esha's eyes flickered toward him, her gaze lingering in a strange, almost unsettled way. Ruhan's brow furrowed, his expression hardening with suspicion. I noticed the tension between them and quickly interrupted.
Ruhi- What happened, Esha? What's the bad news?
Esha tore her eyes away from Ruhan and turned to me.
Esha- It's Sounak... he's in the hospital. There was an accident.
My world froze.
Ruhi- No... no, that can't be true.
Tears welled up in my eyes, my chest tightening with overwhelming grief.
Without thinking, I sprinted past Ruhan, who looked after me with alarm, and followed Esha to her car. I jumped into the passenger seat, my heart pounding, as Esha started the engine and sped off.
On the road, my sobs filled the car.
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Ruhi- How can this be? When did it happen? Esha- In the evening.
Esha answered quietly.
I wiped my tears and looked at Esha, something about my tone unsettling.
Ruhi- How do you know? Did someone call you? Esha- Yes.
Esha replied in a low voice, her face hidden in the dim light of the car's interior.
My mind raced.
Ruhi- It's all my fault. Sounak's accident... it must be because of me. I'm the reason.
I choked out.
Esha- You're right.
Esha said suddenly, a strange smile playing on her lips.
My tear-streaked face turned to Esha in confusion.
Ruhi- What? What do you mean? Esha- It's your fault.
Esha repeated, her voice taking on a strange, mocking tone. The smile on her face twisted into something dark and unnatural.
My heart pounded with fresh panic.
Ruhi- Esha, are you okay? What's wrong with you?
Esha's eyes flicked towards me, and for the first time, I saw something in them that made my blood run cold.
Esha- Yes, I'm fine.
Esha replied, her voice laced with malice.
Esha- But you... you won't be okay now.
My breath hitched, panic bubbling up inside me.
Ruhi- What are you talking about?
Esha's hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, and suddenly, the car began to accelerate. Faster and faster.
Ruhi- Esha, stop! What are you doing?
I screamed, my hands gripping the seat as fear surged through me.
Ruhi- Are you mad? Stop the car!
But Esha only laughed, the sound eerie and menacing.
Esha- I will take from you all whom you love.
She said, her voice loud and twisted.
My terror spiked as I realized something was terribly wrong. This wasn't Esha. This was something else-someone else. My mind raced, trying to piece it together.
Ruhi- Who are you?
I shouted, desperate to understand what was happening.
Esha turned to me, her eyes dark with malevolence. "Hina."
My breath caught in my throat. "Hina?" The name echoed in my mind, but it wasn't hers. It wasn't a nickname. It belonged to someone else, someone real.
Shock froze my thoughts. But instead of succumbing to fear, something within I snapped. My tears dried, and my panic melted away into something fiercer. I faced Esha-no, Hina-with a cold, steady gaze.
Ruhi- Nice to meet you.
I whispered, before reaching for the steering wheel and yanking it hard to the right.
The car veered off the road, crashing into a tree with a deafening screech of metal.
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Ruhan's POV...
I paced the room, my gut churning with unease. Something was wrong. I had felt it the moment Esha had walked in. Her eyes had lingered too long on me, her behavior too off. I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't Esha-or at least, not entirely.
I needed to find Ruhi. Fast.
Grabbing my keys, I rushed out the door, my mind racing. I knew Ruhi was in danger. The pendant, the strange events, and now this-there was no mistaking it. Esha had been acting like she was possessed, and I was certain that whatever had taken over her was targeting Ruhi. I couldn't afford to waste time.
As I drove, my mind kept circling back to the same thought: Hina. The name I had been trying to avoid, the spirit that had haunted Ruhi's past, was now coming back for her. I had to stop it-before it was too late.
I pressed harder on the accelerator, desperate to reach Ruhi before Hina could do any more damage.
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This chapter continues the tension between Ruhi and her growing realization of Hina's existence while escalating the danger posed by Hina through Esha's possession. Ruhan's urgency to save Ruhi is amplified, setting up the confrontation to come.
