Beneath the Surface

Chapter 5: The Tension Mounts

A week had passed since the city was shaken by the news of another missing girl, and Raju had done everything in his power to forget it. He buried himself in work, focused on his family, and pushed those dark flashes of memory as far back as he could. But something inside him had shifted. There was an unsettling feeling creeping into his everyday life, a whispering in the corners of his mind that he couldn't quite silence.

The voices had started softly, barely noticeable. But now they were louder, intruding on his thoughts when he least expected it. He would be chopping vegetables at work or playing with Aryan at home, and suddenly, a memory, or perhaps just a shadow of one, would dart across his mind-something he didn't want to see, something he refused to acknowledge. He wasn't sure if it was the news of the murders that had triggered this, or if it was something else, something darker.

Raju's days became a struggle between keeping up appearances and keeping the growing tension inside him from spilling over. He was trying hard to forget. But forgetting, it seemed, was becoming impossible.

---

At the restaurant, everything felt routine. The clatter of pots, the sizzle of oil in the pan, the chatter of the staff. To anyone looking from the outside, Raju was just another man doing his job, living his life. But inside, he was wrestling with something he couldn't explain, something that seemed to be growing more powerful with each passing day.

"You alright, Raju?" Rajesh, the waiter, asked one afternoon. "You've been spacing out a lot lately."

Raju quickly snapped back to the present, forcing a smile. "Yeah, just a lot on my mind."

Rajesh shrugged and went back to his work, but Raju could feel the stares. He could sense people noticing his distraction. He hadn't slept well in days-every time he closed his eyes, images flickered in his mind. And the whispers... they were getting worse. They weren't just faint echoes now. They were insistent, telling him things, making him feel things he thought he had buried a long time ago.

---

At home, the atmosphere wasn't much better. Nandini, ever observant, had begun asking more questions.

"Is something bothering you?" she asked one evening as they sat on the couch after dinner.

Raju shook his head. "No, nothing. Just work stress."

But Nandini's eyes lingered on him, as if she could sense that something was off. "You've been distracted, Raju. It's not like you."

He brushed it off, but the truth was, everything felt wrong. The news about the missing girls had brought back something he had tried so hard to suppress. And the more he tried to ignore it, the more it consumed him.

One evening, as he sat scrolling through Instagram, trying to distract himself from the weight of his own thoughts, another video popped up in his feed. It was a crime scene-the body of the third girl, found lifeless and mutilated. Raju's stomach turned as he watched, unable to look away. The cruelty of the crime was haunting, and though he wasn't there, something about the pattern felt all too familiar.

The whispers returned. His pulse quickened. His hand trembled, and he dropped the phone onto the floor. He couldn't breathe. The images, the whispers-they were clawing at him. For a brief, terrifying moment, he felt like someone else. Someone he didn't want to be.

Nandini called his name from the kitchen, breaking the spell, and he hurriedly picked up his phone, trying to regain his composure. But the damage had been done. The fear, the uncertainty-it was getting harder to hide.

---

A few days later, as he was just beginning to settle into the uneasy routine of pretending nothing was wrong, there was a knock on the door. Raju was in the kitchen, making tea, while Nandini was helping Aryan with his homework. Meera was in her room, headphones on, as usual.

Nandini opened the door, expecting a neighbor or delivery, but when she saw two police officers standing there, her face paled. "Yes?" she asked, her voice tight with sudden apprehension.

"We need to speak with Mr. Raju," one of the officers said, his tone flat but formal.

Nandini frowned, confused, and called out, "Raju? The police are here. They want to speak with you."

Raju froze. He felt a cold rush of fear wash over him as he walked to the door. The officers were standing there, their expressions unreadable.

"Mr. Raju, we need you to come with us for questioning," one of the officers said. "It's regarding the recent murders."

The words hit Raju like a punch to the gut. His mind raced, his heart pounding in his chest. Nandini's eyes widened in shock. "What? What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Raju couldn't speak. He could feel the weight of the officers' stares, the unspoken accusations hanging in the air. His mind reeled, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say, how to react. He hadn't done anything. He wasn't involved. But why were they here? Why were they asking him?

Nandini stepped forward, her face pale with confusion and fear. "There must be some mistake. My husband has nothing to do with this. He's-"

"Ma'am," the officer interrupted, his tone calm but firm, "we're not accusing him of anything. We just need him to answer some questions. It's a routine part of the investigation."

Raju's mouth was dry, and his palms were slick with sweat. He could see Nandini's bewilderment, the fear in Aryan's eyes, and Meera standing at the hallway, looking equally stunned. The tension in the air was thick, suffocating.

"I... I'll go with them," Raju finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. He forced himself to meet Nandini's gaze, but he couldn't hold it for long. There was something in his eyes, something dark and fearful, that made her take a step back.

"Raju, what's going on?" Nandini's voice wavered. "Why are they taking you in? What aren't you telling me?"

"I don't know," Raju lied, his voice hollow. He did know. Maybe not everything, but enough to know that this wasn't just a routine questioning. The past he had worked so hard to forget was resurfacing, and he had no idea how much of it would come to light.

He turned to the officers, his mind still racing, and nodded. "Let's go."

As they led him out of the house, Raju could feel his family's eyes on him. The confusion, the shock-it was all there. But underneath it, Raju could feel something else too. Something dark, something that terrified him. The voices were back, louder this time, and they were telling him things he didn't want to hear.