Veer suddenly heard a piercing scream—a voice crying in agony:
Run away from here!
Veer froze again.
*"Why am I seeing the same scene… again?"*
Before he could process it, a sharp voice came from behind.
"Hello, mister. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
Veer turned around and saw the same girl walking toward him.
He tried to speak. "Ma'am, I—"
But she cut him off sharply.
"Wait… are you a thief?"
She suddenly yelled, "Thief! Thief! Someone catch him!"
"Hey! At least listen to me first!" Veer shouted.
A group of local boys—rough-looking troublemakers—ran toward him. Without asking anything, they pushed him back.
"Who are you? Where did you come from?" one boy barked.
"You just arrived and already started teasing girls?"
Another boy punched Veer straight in the face.
Veer's expression hardened.
"So you only understand the language of fists? Fine—come on, then!"
A fight erupted.
Punches flew.
Bodies slammed.
*Thud! Crack! Bam!* echoed across the ground.
Suddenly, the police arrived and grabbed the boys.
The girl pointed at them.
"Sir, these are the ones who were troubling us!"
A constable replied, "They troubled *you*? He is the new sub-inspector of this village! He arrived today!"
The girl's expression changed instantly. She lowered her head.
"I… I'm sorry, sir. I didn't recognize you," she whispered and hurried away.
Veer scratched his head and muttered,
"Great. Now I'll never know her name."
A constable asked, "Sir, what should we do with these boys?"
Veer replied, "Take them with us. I need to question them. And I want to see the main area of this village. Slowly, I'll understand what's going on."
---
### **At the Police Station**
Veer brought the boys to the police station—and was shocked.
The entire building looked abandoned.
Walls were broken.
Cobwebs hung everywhere.
It looked more like a haunted ruin than a functioning station.
Veer sighed.
*"What am I supposed to do in a place like this?"*
He made the boys sit down.
"Now tell me everything. Otherwise, I'll make you scream louder than you ever have in your lives."
The boys panicked.
"No, sir, please! We were just joking! We didn't know you were an officer. Please forgive us—we won't do it again!"
Veer leaned forward.
"Forget that. Tell me how long you've lived here, what's happening at the school, and what incidents have taken place there."
The boys stiffened. Their faces went pale.
One whispered, "Sir… that story is very long. If we start now, we won't finish even by morning. And even if we tell you… you won't believe us. Or understand."
Another added, voice trembling,
"And if *he* finds out we spoke… he'll burn you along with this police station."
Veer narrowed his eyes.
"Who is this 'he'? The one who thinks he can burn me? Let's see about that."
He turned to a constable.
"Don't release them until I say so."
"Yes, sir."
Veer went home for a short while. Even there, he felt… watched.
A presence.
Silent. Heavy.
But he brushed it off.
"Probably just the wind," he muttered.
---
### **Night – The Village Turns Dead**
After dinner, Veer headed back to the police station.
When he stepped outside, the entire village looked like a silent graveyard.
Not a voice.
Not a footstep.
Only the echo of his own boots on the cold ground.
From behind sealed windows, villagers whispered:
"That boy is crazy."
"He's looking for death."
"He won't see morning."
One by one, windows slammed shut.
Veer scoffed.
"Looks like only cowards live here. Why was I sent to deal with these lifeless people?"
He reached the police station and called out:
"Constable! Constable!"
No response.
When he stepped inside, he froze.
All the constables were hiding inside the *jail cells*.
Veer shouted, "What the hell is this? Come out!"
One constable trembled as he answered,
"Sir… anyone who steps outside after 10 p.m… dies."
Veer said coldly,
"If you don't come out right now, I'll shoot all of you."
Fear overpowered superstition.
They slowly stepped out.
Veer said, "That girl didn't explain anything. Fine—do one thing. Let those boys out."
The boys screamed instantly,
"No sir! Please! Don't send us outside! We'd rather die in here!"
Veer's expression hardened.
"If that's the case… then start talking. Tell me everything."
---
### **The Truth Begins to Unfold**
After much hesitation, the boys began.
"Sir… the real story starts years ago, when we were children. Back then, the school was… better. Not perfect, but normal. We grew up hearing strange tales about this place—stories read to us from old books."
Veer asked, "What happened? Why is the whole village terrified?"
The boys exchanged fearful glances.
Then one of them spoke:
"Three students came from another village—two boys and one girl. They were admitted to the school… but something was wrong with them."
"Wrong?" Veer asked.
"They didn't seem human, sir."
His voice shook as he continued.
"They sat at the back of the class. For a few weeks everything was normal. But then… one night… on a stormy evening… when the winds were howling and the air felt dead…"
Before he could continue—
The entire police station **shook violently**.
*CRRRRRR-BOOOOM!*
The walls rattled.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The boys screamed,
"Save us! It's THEM! They've come!"
Veer shouted above the chaos,
"Quiet! It's just an earthquake! Stay calm!"
A constable stepped forward.
"Sir, lock them in. You should go outside and check what's happening!"
"Fine."
Veer tightened his grip on his flashlight.
"Keep them inside. Don't let anyone escape."
"Yes, sir."
Without another word, Veer pushed open the station door and stepped into the night—
—where darkness waited, holding secrets deeper than he had imagined.