Hello everybody. Back with the update.

Guest: Thank you for reviewing. The question you asked was about what happened between Shreya and Abhijeet, so basically it was an affair between them. But how it happened, when it happened and why it happened will be revealed later in the story. Everything can't be revealed right at the begining. Until then, enjoy the story and lets see where it goes.

Raaz: The Evil Game of Devil

The Evil Inside Me

Chapter 3

Stuck in the Storeroom

Scene 9:

He was in deep sleep. Sleep also has its types—sometimes light, sometimes deep, and sometimes a prolonged sleep resembling unconsciousness. It was 3 in the morning. At this hour, the house echoed only with silence. The silence was piercing, but there was no one to feel it. Perhaps this deep sleep would not break until morning, but for some unknown reason, his eyes suddenly opened, and he sat up. Sleep seemed to have fled from his eyes. He was surprised. At this moment, he was in a strange state of mind. Nearby, on the bed, Purvi was sound asleep. He turned his face towards Purvi. How peacefully she was sleeping, with so much tranquility. This strange emptiness and silence, was she not feeling which he had never felt before? He left the bed under the influence of some unexplained feeling, and he didn't know what that feeling was. Gradually, he opened the door, entered the corridor, and started looking at the stairs going downstairs. The darkness of the night had spread its eerie presence everywhere. The whole house was engulfed in darkness, and all the lights were off at this hour. He, searching for the light switch in the dark, illuminated the path with a faint glow. The subtle glow of light in the darkness somewhat alleviated his restlessness. He stood there, contemplating why he was there and what he was doing. He should have been deeply asleep on his bed at this moment, but sleep seemed to have abandoned him suddenly. It felt as if a voice was signaling him to move forward, a voice softer than a whisper. As if that voice was emerging from within him. He took a step forward, slowly advancing towards the stairs. Then, in the silence of the night, the sound of footsteps descending the stairs echoed throughout the house. Someone repeatedly urged him to move forward. He, without much thought, kept moving forward. He didn't know where his destination was. Walking, he found himself standing in front of the door to the storeroom, which was usually filled with all sorts of discarded items over the years. He rarely came here, and if he did, it was usually during the daytime. Why he had come here in the eerie darkness of the night, he himself didn't know, and perhaps, he didn't want to find out. In the next moment, he grabbed the handle of the storeroom door and opened it, stepping inside. As soon as he entered, he heard the sound of the door closing behind him. He turned around in surprise, as if abruptly awakened from a deep slumber.

"Yeh mein..store room mein kab aya? Mein to upar khada tha" Abhijeet turned his gaze in surprise towards the closed door of the storeroom. In this dense darkness, he could barely see anything. The fuse of the storeroom's light had blown, so no light could be turned on in there.

"Shayad bekhayaali mein idhar a gaya" He whispered to himself and then attempted to open the door by grabbing the handle, but to his utmost surprise, even with all his strength, the door wasn't budging.

"Yeh darwaaza kese band ho gaya hai? Lagta hai jaam ho gaya hai" He expressed a mix of surprise, confusion, and anxiety. Under the influence of these emotions, he began knocking on the door.

"Purvi, Mom Dad, Daya..are koi sun raha hai kya meri awaaz? Darwaaza kholiye" He screamed at the top of his lungs, but it seemed like no one could hear him. No matter how loudly he tried to scream, it felt as if everyone there was deep in oblivious, profound slumber. Sleep, or perhaps a kind of unconsciousness, was not allowing them to wake up.

"Darwaaza kholo koi" Along with his own voice, the knocking on the door had also become loud, but on the other side, complete silence prevailed.

Suddenly, he stopped knocking on the door. He was startled. Behind him, he felt a faint glow of light. In that dense darkness, this light was sufficient. But the surprising thing was what had generated this light. When he turned slowly, he saw a dimly lit table in the corner of the room with a candle placed on it, and it was that candle creating the faint glow in the room. But the astonishment was how a new, unlit candle had appeared in the room, and even if it did, how did it light up on its own? In the room, there was no one except him. Fear had seized him, and he once again pounded on the door, but, as usual, there was no response. Suddenly, he felt that someone was standing behind him. When he turned around, a scream escaped him. How could it not? The face of the person or creature standing behind him was horrifying. With distorted features and long, unkempt hair, the figure was clad in a long gown-like garment. Blood was oozing from various parts of its face. Its eyes were as red as blood, with a fiery glow, giving the impression that flames would burst out at any moment. The eyes were so terrifying that Abhijeet couldn't bear to look at them, and his eyes quickly lowered in fear.

"Kon..ho..tum?" Abhijeet struggled to gather the courage to speak and muster the strength to produce sound from his throat.

"Mein kon hun is se koi farak nahi parta. Han magar mein kya chahta hun, is se farak zaroor parta hai" A heavy and peculiarly voice emerged from his throat.

"Tum..tum kya chahte ho.." Under the influence of fear and anxiety, Abhijeet spoke.

"Mein tumhaare saath aik game khelna chahta hun. Kheloge?" He laughed loudly and started questioning him with a commanding tone, as if issuing orders.

"Kya..kya matlab hai tumhara? Kesa game? Kis game ki baat kar rahe ho tum?" Abhijeet stuttered as he spoke. Despite the heat, his legs were trembling. His heart was pounding loudly, as if he was experiencing a horrifying nightmare. However, everything felt incredibly real.

"Aik bohat khatarnaak khail jis ko khel kar tumhe bohat maza aye ga" His laughter was also very sinister, devilish in nature. Goosebumps started to form on Abhijeet's skin. His legs were shaking, and his back was against the door, which was closed and sealed. There was no way to escape. He couldn't comprehend anything.

"Mujhe..mujhe kuch samajh nahi a raha..aa" He stammered as he spoke. It seemed like his voice was choked in his throat.

"Baat to asaan hai agar tum samajhne ki koshish karo. Aik khail hai jo tumhe mere saath khelna hoga. Us khel ke ant mein agar tum jeet gaye to jo mango ge woh dun ga" His thick lips were slowly moving. His voice was heavy and resonant, like the kind that would echo through the dawn. But Abhijeet was determined not to let the figure's intensity and magic overpower him.

"Mujhe nahi chahiye kuch bhi. Tum please mujhe yahan se jaane do. Mera peecha mat karo. Tum jo koi bhi ho please chale jao. Mein koi bhi khail khelne mein dilchaspi nahi rakhta" Abhijeet closed his eyes because he couldn't summon the courage to look at the terrifying face of that creature. With great effort, he finally managed to say all of this to the strange being.

"Yeh game to tumhe khelna hi hoga" Issuing a loud and ominous laugh, it speaks.

"Koi zabardasti hai kya? Mein..e kaha naa k..e mujh..e koi game nahi khelna" His voice began to tremble. In his heart, he prayed that this was just a horrifying dream and that he would wake up from it soon.

"Tumhara aik raaz hai na, socho agar woh khul gaya to kya hoga?" This strange figure said something this time that left Abhijeet stunned and horrified. He looked at the terrifying figure with fear and bewilderment.

"Mera raaz..nahi..nahi..mera koi raaz nahi hai. Tum apni bakwaas band karo. Mein tum se darta nahi hun. Tum jo bhi ho please chale jao, mein tumhare saath kisi bhi qisam ki game khelne ke liye tayaar nahi" Abhijeet was in a strange state. He had started breathing deeply and heavily.

"Dar gaye kya ke agar tumhara raaz khul gaya to tumhara kya hoga?" He laughed again, and his laughter was as terrifying as himself. It created a commotion in the ears, and Abhijeet involuntarily covered his ears.

"Tum jhoot bol rahe ho. Mera aisa koi raaz nahi hai jiske khul jaane ka mujhe dar ho" Abhijeet attempted to look into his eyes this time, but unable to withstand the piercing redness, he turned his eyes away again. He couldn't comprehend what was happening to him.

"Apne dil se poocho ke kya waqaie koi aisa raaz nahi hai?"

"Nahi" Abhijeet responded with determination.

"Theek hai, tumhe kuch waqt de raha hun. Ache se soch lena ke koi raaz hai ya nahi. Aur yaad rakhna, tumhara peecha nahi chodunga mein" The strange creature or person suddenly grabbed Abhijeet by the neck while uttering these words. Abhijeet didn't get a chance to defend himself. He tried to free his neck from the sharp clutches, but in vain. His breath was being choked, and breathing became difficult. Eventually, the creature released Abhijeet's throat, and he fell to the ground like a lifeless entity. It's unclear how long he remained unconscious. Then, he opened his eyes due to some noise.

"Abhijeet, uth bhi jaaiye. Aj meri jagah ap ne sambhal li hai kya?" When Purvi's voice echoed in his ears, he opened his eyes in surprise. He was in his room, lying on his bed, and Purvi was standing in front of the dressing table, combing her hair.

"Mein yahan kese..Mein to store room mein.." His voice was like a whisper, limited only to him.

"Kya hua Purvi?" Abhijeet asked, sitting up.

"Time dekha hai? 12 baj gaye hain. Sachi mein aj to ap ne meri jagah sambhal li. Kya gadhe ghore bech ke so rahe the. Aise jaise behosh hon" Purvi laughed while replying. Her tone was casual, giving the impression that nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Tum ne mujhe uthaya kyun nahi?" Abhijeet said, raising his legs off the bed.

"Aj sunday hai to meine socha ke sone deti hun. Neend poori kar lein ap bhi apni" She said, smiling.

"Hm" Abhijeet thought about whether it was a dream. He couldn't understand whether everything had actually happened or if it was just a terrifying nightmare. How did he end up back in his room? His heart wanted to accept that it was just a dream and nothing else, but his mind was tangled in confusion. At this moment, he had no other choice but to consider it a dream and try to forget it.

"Chalein jaldi se fresh up ho lein. Phir neeche chalte hain naashta karne"

"Theek hai" Abhijeet shook his head and entered the bathroom.

Scene 10

When Daya came out of the bathroom, he found Shreya on the bed looking a bit restless and troubled. It was a Sunday, a day off from work, so he had thought of taking Shreya out for dinner. It had been a while since they had spent time together outside.

"Shreya, dinner par chalein?" Daya smiled and asked Shreya. Shreya was taken aback by Daya's voice when she looked at him. She hadn't realised when Daya had stood in front of her.

"Han, theek hai" Shreya nodded, but there was a subtle reluctance in her demeanor. It seemed like she wasn't very inclined to go, but she was willing to fulfill Daya's desire.

"Kya hua tumhe Shreya? Itni pareshaan pareshaan si kyun lag rahi ho? Kya us khawaab ki wajah se jo tumhe raat ko aaya tha? Tum bohat dar gayi thi na woh khawaab dekh kar" Daya lovingly inquired. She didn't seem well. Last night, she had a dream that had perhaps frightened her a lot. Shreya didn't disclose the details of the dream, despite Daya's numerous inquiries; she kept evading the topic. It was unclear why she was hesitant to share her fear with him.

"Khawab? Han, bohat bhayanak khawab tha woh. Mein bohat dar bhi gayi thi, magar khawab to khawab hote hain na, haqeeqat nahi to mujhe koi pareshaani kyun hogi. Aapko ghalat lag raha hai. Mein bilkul theek hun. Pareshaan nahi hun. Bas tabiyat subah se hi thodi bojhal hai isi liye chup thi. Aap zyaada na sochein" Shreya had been affected by that dream, but she didn't want to reveal it to Daya. She tried to reassure Daya, and perhaps she was successful in her efforts.

"Agar tum kehti ho to theek hai maan leta hun warna manne ke dil to nahi karta magar phir bhi maan leta hun agar tum keh rahi ho to. Aur agar tumhari tabiyat theek nahi hai to yeh dinner plan bhi cancel kar dete hain. Koi zaroorat nahi hai agar tum hi acha mehsoos nahi karo gi" Daya's heart couldn't accept that Shreya wasn't troubled by something. There was something going on in her mind, but he was unaware of what it was.

"Are nahi nahi. Dinner cancel karne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai. I would actually feel better on the dinner aur ap ki mojoodgi to kaafi hi haina mujhe acha mehsoos karaane ke liye" Shreya smiled and held Daya's hand in hers, spending some time just feeling the warmth and connection between their hands.

"Are you sure about that Shreya?" Daya lovingly caressed her cheek with his hand and said,

"Hundred percent sure" Shreya tried to smile openly.

"Ok phir ready ho jana raat ko" While saying so, Daya opened the door and left the room, leaving Shreya alone in the room.

To Be Continued

I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please review what you liked about this specific chapter. Thank you.