"Oh shit! Who the hell is this crazy old man?" the driver exclaimed, slamming on the brakes immediately.
The sudden stop threw everyone in the bus off balance.
"What happened? What the hell is going on?" Deep shouted, his voice loud enough to reach the driver's ears.
"There's a man who just stepped in front of the bus," the driver replied.
Before the driver could even get out, the old man had already climbed aboard.
"Oh, where are you, Devi? Where are you?" the old man shouted repeatedly.
"Hey, old man, who are you?" the conductor asked harshly.
This old man looks so tired, and the dirt on his clothes suggests he fell somewhere, causing those minor but painful wounds on his elbow, Deep thought.
The old lady who had been sitting on the bus approached the old man. "Where have you been? You're so irresponsible!"
"Oh, I should be asking you that! Why did you leave me alone at the bus stand?" the old man retorted.
"I'm sorry, I forgot. I only remembered after the bus had traveled a long distance," Devi, the old lady, explained.
"Okay, but I had to pull every trick in the book to catch up with this bus, you know," the old man said to his wife Devi, frustration evident in his voice.
"Now that you've done all that, just sit down on your seats, okay?" the conductor instructed.
The entire Ashwin family watched the scene unfold quietly.
I want to ask that old man how he got those wounds, Deep thought.
"You can sit here now," Devi said to her husband, the old man.
The old man took a deep breath as he settled into the seat.
"I need some water," he said.
Hearing this, Padmini quickly pulled out her water bottle and handed it to him.
"Oh, such a nice little girl," the old man said with a warm smile.
"But I'm not little," Padmini replied, her face turning red.
The old man and lady laughed at her response.
Venkat stood up from his seat and approached the conductor.
"How much time to reach Phek New Town?" Venkat asked, staring intently at the conductor.
"Sir, it will take approximately one hour," the conductor replied with a fake smile and forced generosity.
"And for Phek Old Town?" Venkat asked in the same direct manner.
"Thirty minutes more," the conductor said.
"Let me know when the bus reaches the new town of Phek," Venkat said sternly.
"Okay, sir, as you wish," the conductor responded.
Deep approached the old man. "Hello, I'm Deep. Sir, may I ask how you got that wound on your elbow?"
"Oh, you got a wound? I didn't notice it before. How did this happen?" Devi asked, concerned.
"Oh, this? I also have one on my knee. I fell on the side of the road, and those hard stones did the rest," the old man explained.
"That must be painful. If you want a painkiller, I have some," Deep offered.
"Oh, thank you, but it's not necessary," the old man declined politely.
"So, where are you going, Mr...?" Deep inquired.
"I'm Diwan, and I'm heading to the new town of Phek," Diwan replied.
"Oh, really? I'm also going to Phek, but the old one," Deep said.
"But why?" Diwan asked, his voice filled with tension and concern.
"I'm a researcher of dark and supernatural phenomena, and I've heard that the old town of Phek is cursed. Is that true?" Deep explained.
Mrs. Ashwin and Padmini overheard the conversation from the back seats.
"Yes, it was cursed," Diwan confirmed, showing a deep connection to Phek in his expression.
"Can you tell me in detail?" Deep asked eagerly.
"Yeah, it might be a little long," Diwan said.
"No problem, carry on," Deep said with excitement.
Diwan takes long breath before starting narrating the cursed story of Phek - Old town to Deep.