Thank you my darling babies for responding to my latest announcement about scene ideas, I'm literally taking notes aggressively for paying back once the plot resolves :") Aapke wishes main puure karwaake rahungi, don't worry! :P

Also bohot bohot shukriya for keeping the in-line comments coming! My imposter syndrome is literally preventing me from writing and you guys are fuelling this story, for real!

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A group of curious onlookers were huddled together at the edge of the valley by the petrol station, peering into the distant landscape where an interesting event took place that had the whole neighbourhood in shambles.

Two middle-class women got down from an expensive car, relieved by the sheer number of people around. It would be safe for them to stop for a bathroom break amidst such a huge group.

Just as they were about to enter the store attached to the petrol station, Navya, in a sudden panic, gasped, "Ek second, mera dupatta!" She rushed back to the Mercedes that was being fuelled up.

Soha facepalmed herself and proceeded through the doors. She decided to stand in the queue for the women's bathroom, which always seemed to have a long line in front of it. Luckily, she was second in line. But not for long, as a loud and stout aged woman was trying to butt in before her.

Her hair greyed around the edges, reflecting several decades of experience on the planet as she was lecturing her indifferent husband about something. He resignedly stood by the sidelines, not even batting an eyelash at her sharp words. "It's not unbelievable, I told you from the start that house was haunted," she scolded, tucking her pinned saree pleats higher into her waist as a preparatory measure to use the toilet.

Even if Soha was planning to intervene and educate her about stealing her spot, that decision was immediately scrapped. The old woman was already furious, and her formidable presence combined with her passionate defense of supernatural theories, made her an intimidating figure.

The lady in front of her, the one presently leading the line, spun at the information.

"Haunted? Which house is haunted?" She asked, her curiosity piqued.

The question was like honey to the old lady's ears. "You didn't see?!" Her fascination knew no bounds as she joyously recounted what had transpired in the town only some minutes ago. "A house down this valley went up in flames!"

Her man, who had accompanied her, rolled his eyes. He grunted, "Bina baat ka batangad banaana koi isse sikhe, ye Allah!" It seemed like he was silently praying for a quick departure from the planet, or rather from his wife's relentless stories.

Soha couldn't help but smirk at the scene, finding the couple both annoying and endearing in their own ways. Interpreting her grin as a sign of mockery at his wife's chatter, he dropped some more details of the encounter to his new-found supporter, "We just saw some welding sparks from a house, and everyone has their own theories now about what went down there." 

The stout woman abruptly turned, passing him a withered look at his regular tendencies to downplay her elaborate tales of wisdom. "It has been abandoned for months!" She retorted spitefully, as if wishing for her beliefs to come true just so she could show her husband who was boss! "I'm sure strange things happen there, issliye loug nahi tikte wahan!"

At that very moment, the convenience store pinged as Navya scurried in, pushing through some customers to get to where Soha was. "Kya hua, itna bheed kyoon hai yahan?" Navya also wanted to inform how groups of people were gathered outside.

Mindlessly engaged in a theory of his own, the old man – whose wife disappeared into a vacant stall – was stating to nobody in particular, "...probably just a rat snipping into the wiring,"

Navya's eyes popped out of her sockets. "A rat?! AHHHH!" She screeched and hopped on one foot, clutching Soha for stability as she angled the other hovering foot, bent over, took off her sandal, and rose it in the air to firmly smack that ugly creature the second she spotted it. "Kahan hai?" She scowled, agitatedly scanning the floor.

The customers around them gave them weird, disgusted looks.

Wanting nothing more than to be buried into a hole right there, Soha irritably nudged the girl at her waist that was directly in line with hers. "Navya, put your slippers on, for God's sake! You're creating a scene!" Her whisper was sharp and curt.

What else could she do? Her stupid friend was embarrassing both of them!

"Lekin hai kahan?" 

Another bathroom stall unlocked, as a female customer held back a laugh and suggested to the two awkwardly clinging girls, "All yours!"

Flushed with multiple shades of shame, the sane friend held Navya by her shoulders as the defeated woman put her slipper back on. "You go first, and your hands better be washed when you're out!"

One middle-aged customer was dropping some snacks and a packaged water bottle at the cashier, which became Soha's new focus to distract her from her heartbroken yet eccentric friend.

"Should we inform the local electricity board or something?" He posed to the cashier, who scowled back.

How the hell were people still talking about it? Such a seemingly insignificant matter – some electric sparks from a house – was being blown out of proportion by the middle-aged townspeople who had nothing else to do at nearly nine at night. All the interesting serials were probably wrapped up for the day, they were doused in multiple cups of tea and were lacking other juicy topics to talk about.

Exasperated by the community she was surrounded by, a thought crossed Soha's idle mind. Hmm... interesting.

She took a deep breath, and frowned, seemingly worried about something. "Actually, your wife is right. I've heard that distressed monsters from other dimensions try to communicate with physical mediums like flickering lights, manipulating gravity..." The old woman who had just exited the bathroom appeared shell-shocked by Soha's comment.

In fact, not just her, all the customers in her vicinity who had heard her were alarmed.

Calmly and coolly, she shrugged as she added, "Have you guys not watched Stranger Things? I know aapko aajkal ke bacchon se bohot shikhaayatein hai lekin that show explains everything so well,"

"Really?" the customer who was paying for his items frightfully asked. 

The subsequent debate regarding paranormal activities grew heated once Soha stoked the fire, and she sneakily escaped into the restroom booth that was just vacated. From the inside, she could hear voices rising in urgency and fear at the variety of tales and takes everyone had.

It was taking everything in her to stop herself from cackling out loud.

"Alright, that's enough," interrupted the man behind the till, slowly losing his sanity. Initially, he too participated in the gossip as the multitude of stories and theories entertained his otherwise boring graveyard shift. The town, however, was escalating things to an absurd level.

There was no such haunted mansion anywhere in Mangalore!

An officer dressed in khaki inspected the commotion in the shop with a wooden stick embossed with a metal casing at its tips. His nametag read Inspector Sachin Kadam.

As he scanned the scattered groups at different aisles, they promptly disbanded from the groups and busied themselves with the tasks they had intended to achieve at the petrol station.  

But how could they stay put without making other people's businesses their own?!

"It might just be a fuse blowing up or something," one of them muttered, wary of an authoritative presence in the room, but wanting to prove a point.

"That's true," another agreed, but quietened on noticing the cop eyeing him, "but it's a surprise power was running there at all in the first place."

The old ghoul obsessed woman disregarded those scientific explanations and stuck to her steadfast theories. "You guys don't believe me, that's fine. I know it's haunted," her voice quivered at the daggering stare the new cop was passing around, but she refused to surrender her theory.

Sachin stomped his cane on the glossy tiles, its sound echoing in the chamber. "Kya chal raha hai yahan pe, huh? Tum logon ko koi kaam dhandha hai ki nahi, ya apun kuch la dein?" The room went hyper-silent at his loud command.

They had all heard that a new inspector had been transferred from Mumbai to their district, but it was the first time they were seeing him face-to-face. 

Hurrying from the warehouse, the shopkeeper wiped his face and joined his palms beside the cop, somewhat bowing to him to pay his respects. "Kadam ji, aap yahan hai... bohot khushi ki baat hai," he chuckled nervously, "...ab koi bhi pareshaani nahi ho sakti,"

Kadam ji, Sachin scoffed at the title. He had just turned twenty six and a man double his age was referring to him in such a manner. He couldn't deny he appreciated it, but nothing could change the horrendous impression he had of the town.

When he was being transferred, he was clearly informed that the city would give him a homely vibe, and that people were enormously kind. With every place he visited, that statement seemed further and further from the truth. All he could see were self-absorbed idiots who lacked a general understanding of life beyond their own wonderful bubble.

Steeling his features, he swept the shop from one end to another. At the click of a door latch, he eyed the bathroom door from where a petite woman rushed out, wiping her hands on her dupatta while alternatively tapping her feet at the rubber mat.

While performing her mind-numbing task, she happened to look up, her eyebrows arching at the gaping audience whose attention seemed lost elsewhere. She followed their gaze, unexpectedly locking eyes with a police officer whose cap was tucked under an arm, exposing his swept-back hair. He was watching her, bearing a blank expression on her face.

Navya's heart began racing. What trouble had she gotten herself into, that a cop had specifically come searching for her?  

Sachin distastefully detached his gaze from the nuisance that had just appeared and glowered at the shopkeeper, "Khabardaar kisine uss ghar ke taraf moda toh," he said firmly, and turned on his heel, briskly walking towards the door with his cane swinging by his side.

Was he talking about Navya's house?

Was Harshad there?

Stumbling on her feet, she was held afloat by Soha, who tipped her chin, asking what happened.

As Sachin was about to cross the threshold of the shop, he flickered his gaze back at the bathroom and then resentfully stepped out. The rest of the customers eyed Navya, regarding her with the same distaste he expressed. 

"Soha," she mumbled under her breath, unable to flesh out the words, "I'm in trouble for something."

Her friend frowned. "Why would you say that?"

Navya frightfully turned. "He knows something."

Reassuring each other otherwise and feeding off each other's hopes, the two friends prepared to leave the shop.

When they stepped out to the petrol bay, the Mercedes they came in was gone.

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I told you guys the plot was going to get intense :P

First impressions on Sachin Kadam? Also I'm soooo imagining Ankit Gupta for his character, his and Nawab's rivalry in MHBRH was top notch! :")

Manifesting another project with the two, and would absolutely love if Niti and PCC played opposite them <3

Any guesses on the storyline so far? Any silent readers want to throw in your guesses?

Please do keep voting if you're still here, I'm going to try to give as many updates as possible (even if they are short-ish) if your support keeps flowing through.

Trust me, it matters a lot when we're on this end of the screen endlessly typing :")

Love you my favourites! <3