Whispers

By Yadnesh Shingare

“I have come here all alone,” I said looking at the strangers sitting in front of me.

“And that’s absolutely alright with us. Solo trips are the best way to have some ‘me-time. To run away from the chaos and find our inner peace. To explore” the tour guide tried sharing some words of wisdom.

I was on a trek to Harigadh Fort in the Konkan district of Maharashtra. We had reached the base camp around 9 pm at night and would start the trek early the next morning. Usually, people go in groups but I wasn’t like the usual people so preferred exploring places on my own. There were twenty other people on that tour. A group of 8 girls, a group of 4 boys, and another group of 8 college boys and girls. The tour guide and I made it twenty-two. It was around 11 pm at night, we were sitting around a campfire, people were introducing each other and sharing stories. I was least interested. But that wasn’t the case with them. Two or three of the girls were too keen on knowing me. They were trying to tease and flirt with me and make me talk to them. None of those were worth my attention. The one worth my time sitting right across me. She had a lovely face, pink cheeks, dark hair, and was a little skinny but still managed to make me notice her. She had these long legs which were a standout because of the denim shorts she was wearing with a cream colored blouse and pink sneakers. Sometimes I feel I am just attracted to anyone who isn’t curious about me. I like that feeling, to make them like me and then just go with the flow. It never ends well, for them of course.

She introduced herself, “I am Ayushi. I stay in Bandra. I finished my masters recently and will be flying to Milan for a placement.”

Milan. Rich. Well dressed. Beautiful. Pure. I started checking imaginary boxes in my head to see if she qualifies as a good match. She did.

“Hey, I am Shubhanshu. I stay in Bandra as well. I am an unemployed engineer though.” I lied trying to be funny which always works. A few girls giggled and I blushed, rubbing my hair to make it look cute. It wasn’t even my turn but I interrupted the queue to make her notice me. She did. So did everyone else. Not that they already hadn’t. But announcing myself that way was my intention to make the ground clear. I looked around and didn’t find any competition as well. Most of the boys there were shorter than me, average-looking, and weak. I faked a smile to not seem arrogant.

The introductions continued for about ten more minutes. I was making mental notes of people to see if I found anyone interesting. There was none.

I kept smiling and stealing glances at the Milan girl and made sure she did too.

After a round of introductions, the tour guide asked if anyone had any spooky stories to disturb the silent night. Finally something worth listening to. A few girls made an irritating noise to show they were already scared and needed attention.

Someone suggested the tour guide tell the most interesting story he had heard during these camps and he agreed to start.

I heard this story from a colleague. There was this girl who stayed in Nagpur. Her name was Priya, I guess. She lived with her parents who worked at a local news station. So they were always busy and usually came home late. Priya was about our age and looked after the household chores when her parents were at work.

One night her parents were working late so they had asked her to bring them dinner. She prepared it and left the house. It was a small town so people usually slept early. So even at 10.30, there was no one on the roads. She was cycling her way to her parent's office and had placed the meals in the basket in front of her cycle. It was very quiet with dim street lights. Suddenly she felt she saw something. It was too quick for her to see it clearly but she described it as a big wolf-like animal with unusually long hind legs. More like kangaroo legs to a wolf. It ran across the street into the bushes. She placed both her legs on the ground and stood there on her bike. She was too scared to go any further. There was no one around to shout for help. It was quiet again. The only sound she could hear now was of the crickets. A few minutes later she gathered the courage to move forward and sat on the seat with one leg on the paddle and another still on the ground. As she tried to paddle ahead, the bike felt heavy and didn’t move at all. It was as if someone was sitting on the carriage behind the bike. She was trembling with fear and didn’t have the guts to turn behind. She wanted to scream but couldn’t find her voice. She was sweating and was about to cry.

Someone whispered in her ear. It was an awfully cold breath.

She screamed and got down from the bike. There was no one. She looked around screaming for help. The bike fell, spilling the mutton curry and rice on the ground. She ran away from there.

The tour guide paused to look around at everyone’s face. Almost all of these people had a scared look on their faces except me. I was the curious one with all sorts of questions about the thing she saw that whispered in her ear. I wished I was in that girl’s place to witness the presence of that beast.

“So that thing wanted mutton curry or the girl?” I asked. Everyone looked at me.

I don’t know. The tour guide said. She ran away from there and returned with her parents and a few other people. But the food was gone. The people ignored her story saying it must be a dog. The rice was untouched though. Dogs would have eaten it all, right? Why would they be choosy about the meat? The girl made a fair argument but no one believed her. Also because the people thought she’s the daughter of the local news station guy so the family must have faked the incident to get a story out of it.

“Anyways, that was my story. Who's next?” the tour guide asked, looking at everyone.

I was amazed by the story. I waited to see if anyone could top that. To my disappointment, there was no one. I felt a sudden urge to tell my story.

“Cool then. Let’s call it a day. We have to get up early tomorrow. Everyone, please be ready by 6 in the morning. We’ll meet here for breakfast before starting our trek. So get some rest. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow. Good night everyone!” The tour guide dispersed everyone.

Everyone got up to leave towards their tents. The tents were small, occupying only two people. It was already mentioned in the tour instructions that it will be on a sharing basis which I was not comfortable with. So I had shed some extra bucks to have them give me my own tent.

I got up and dusted my pants and found the Milan girl staring at me. As soon as I caught her she looked away and pressed her lips to hide her smile. I walked towards her and asked, “Do you sleep this early?”

She looked at me and acted as if she didn’t know me, “Not really.”

“Do you drink?” I asked.

“Occasionally,” she said.

“Tonight is the occasion then,” I said, showing her the imported whisky bottle I had in my bag.

We walked a little away from the base camp and sat near a lake. I made a small bonfire with my lighter and took a seat on a huge rock beside her.

“What’s your name again?” she asked.

“Shubhanshu” I lied. You can call me Shubh.

“Shubh,” she repeated. “Sweet name.”

We started drinking in the night and I kept talking to her to make her comfortable, cracked some silly jokes to make her laugh. I am usually a private person but I can be talkative when I desire something. She was the one that night.

After a few rounds of whiskey, she was too drunk to understand anything so I pulled her up and walked with her straight to my tent. She didn’t resist.

It was past midnight, the night was dark with the moonlight and starry skies adding to its beauty. I took her into the small yellow tent. There were two comfortable cushions with pillows and a small lamplight. I removed my shoes and took her sandals off too. I laid her down carefully and slept beside her. She was giggling for no reason and looked really stupid in that dim light. I was losing interest in her already.

“I am so drunk,” she said and giggled again.

“I can see that,” I replied.

She moved closer to me and started cuddling me. It was enough to turn me on. I leaped on her and kissed her. Her lips tasted like whisky and starwberries. I touched her arms and her legs. Her skin was flawless. She started unbuttoning my shirt and I let her take charge this time. We switched places and she was on top of me. She pecked my neck and then my chest and started moving her fingers on my chest. She made Illuminati-like designs with her nails on my bare chest. I took off her blouse. She had really good breasts for a skinny girl. I made circles around her nipples as she giggled again. The night started getting wild with her moves. She unbuttoned my pants and found a way in. I let her play for a while.

I pinned her down on the sheets again and took off her clothes. She looked like a diva in that dim light. She spread her legs in front of me and I stared at her thighs for a while. I moved my fingers over them and caressed her between the legs. She closed her eyes and made low moaning voices. I kissed her thighs going all the way down. She pulled my hair and almost tried pushing my face in. I took a good look at her wet flesh between her thighs and stopped.

“You are hideous,” I said and got up leaving her mystified. She looked at me, her eyes wanting for more than just sex. I felt otherwise. I put on my pants and walked out of the tent.

I lit a cigarette and puffed out smoke into that cold night.

“Again?” Karin whispered. I didn’t say anything. “I think she was good. I would have drilled her every single opening all night long if I was you.”

“She wasn’t pure,” I said, puffing out another smoke cloud.

“This is the thirteenth time you have chickened out, you wimp!” he said, trying to bug me.

“My dick isn’t meant to go into such inferiority” I made myself clear.

“You are a dick” Karin laughed. His laugh always sounded like a cough to me. He wasn’t used to laughing. Whenever he did, he hated it but couldn’t control it.

“You think you are a god. Above everyone else, isn’t it?”

“Am I not?” I retorted.

He was quiet. I could sense his cold stare, his anger, and helplessness. I felt the air getting heavier because of his hatred and thirst for my blood. But he just couldn’t do anything about it.

“I am waiting for the day to take over you, possess you, eat your soul. And when I do, your bleeding eyes will only have only whites in them and your every bone will be crooked beyond repair. I’ll bite off your nails from your fingers with your own teeth. I will scrape your white skin and burn your pretty face beyond recognition, you cunt.”

I put my cigarette down on the ground and stepped on it.

“You are weak. I let you dwell on me like a parasite” I whispered to him. “I'll burn you down to hell if you bug me.”

I liked Karin. He was my favorite pet. I met him when I was a kid. He had tried possessing me but I tamed him instead. He understood I was not like these inferior humans. I am above them.

“Can I kill her?” Karin asked.

“Make it slow” I ordered.

We walked towards my tent. The Milan girl was gone.

I searched the base camp. Everyone was asleep. I asked Karin to go and look out for her. He found her in an instant. She was wide awake staring into the abyss, trying to contemplate what made me leave her. I loved this part. These pretty girls, acting so hard to get, lying naked in front of me and then getting rejected. The look on their faces.

Karin and I went beside her tent. She saw my movement and came out.

“What is it now?” she said, looking at me.

I looked into her eyes, reading her like a book, her wildest thoughts and fantasies, her fears, her regrets, and her past.

“This was your first time?” I laughed. I couldn’t believe it. She was too good to do it her first time. She was left baffled.

“Who are you and why are you doing this to me?” she asked.

“I am Kalki, a demon” I answered, moving my hand across her pretty face. She hit my arm and pushed it away. Now I was mad.

Karin revealed himself from behind me. A nine feet ghoul, with a burned body and red eyes. His skin was black and blue, covered in blood oozing out of his burns. His face looked like a werewolf with sharp teeth and sticky saliva drooling out from his mouth. His sharp and long fingers could slit open an entire human in half with a single blow. A creature so fearsome that the moon hid behind the clouds every time I called him out.

It was dark and cloudy. The Milan girl had fallen on the ground staring at the creature behind me. She had lost her voice and was sweating like a pig about to be butchered.

I kneeled on the ground and looked at her pretty face. She was still staring at Karin instead of looking at me. That felt a bit insulting.

I touched her cheek with my finger and drew a line that started burning her skin. She screamed in pain, but only I was the one who could hear. Everyone else in the camp, even the little birds and animals around the forest were deaf at the moment. Her screams got louder and louder with every touch. Karin was getting impatient and wanted to feed on her. But he could do that only when I allowed it. He went on a rampage going from one tent to another giving every person a nightmare in their sleep. They dreamt of their deepest fears getting real and struggled to wake up. I was the one controlling their sleep.

I bit her face and savored on it, sucking the blood and soul out of her mouth. Her eyes started turning white and her body was tossing in agony and pain. Her arms and legs were swinging like an animal about to die. She couldn’t move and scream anymore. I wiped my face to her blouse and got up. Karin was waiting for my word to feed on her.

I looked at the Milan girl’s pathetic and weak little body and snapped my fingers in the air.

Karin disappeared.

Everyone in the camp woke up all at once, sweating and panting for breath.

I returned to my tent.

The next day the trek was canceled after they found the girl’s body lying in a pool of blood. Her face was severely damaged beyond recognition. The investigation went on for days and it was concluded to be an animal attack.

After the incident, I left for Nagpur. To meet the girl who saw that beast.

By Yadnesh Shingare