MELINOE

Demystifying

Chapter-14

Without giving any thought, I started to run. I ran straight to your room Noah, but found you sleeping. I felt like running to mom and dad, but I knew they would believe nothing and will question my sanity again. I ran. Out of our gate. The dark night sky and bleak emptiness all around didn't bother me. I was determined to find out who he was! And I wasn't scared of anything anymore. Captivated by my restless mind, I kept on running without knowing where I'm heading to. Suddenly I started to feel like someone's watching me.

I stopped. Looked at my left. At the glass door of the shop "Jenny's" I saw The Face. The Face! That I had seen on our University noticeboard, that tried choking me down while I felt paralysed and had been helplessly gasping for breath. I stood there panting, staring at that face that was staring back at me. I looked straight again. And right in front of me, on an unusually tall cemented milestone, an arrow was drawn directing the road straight ahead. A drop of something fell down from the milestone and then I realized that the arrow was drawn with blood. I started to run again, ahead. Within a few meters, there was another another arrowhead marked over a milestone with blood dripping from it. I ran faster. Every few meters I found such a milestone directing me until I reached my University gate. I got inside. Now I knew that this is the very place that will help me out. I reached the library and found Nikki there. I asked what she was doing there so lately, to which she said she had some important work at the library. Not paying much heed to her, I started to take out all the college magazines, souvenirs whatever possible from where I could get some record of the students. Of Him. All I could find there was despair. I rushed towards the corridor that had the noticeboards. I found his pictures. But there was no mention of his name anywhere.

"WHY? WHY ARE YOU FLUSTERING ME? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHY DO YOU WANT TO SCARE ME??" I started to whine out loud without any control. I slammed open the glass shutter of the noticeboard and took off his pictures and was about to tear them off, when Nikki yelled, "STOP! Don't! He was not a bad person." I turned towards her, her bulging wet eyes and concerned frowns looking straight at me from behind. I went close to her. "Do you know who he is?" She gave a hesitant yes nod. I held her by her shoulders and shook her vigorously out of my deliberate interest to know about him. "I know him. Everything about him. He was my best friend," Nikki mumbled. Agitated, I withdrew my hands off her. "He is Rayan Jesse Mcclain," Nikki said looking straight up at me.