It was evening, and the sun was preparing to set. Some people from the office had gone to an old site for investigation, who were CBI officials. Among them were two young men named Aarav Joshi and Rehan Azhar, who stood out from the rest due to their unique personalities.
Aarav Joshi was a person with deep eyes and a mysterious smile on his face. His hair was slightly disheveled, and his eyes had a sharpness that could attract anyone. He had a confident stride, and a way of speaking that drew people towards him. He seemed like a person who knew how to keep every situation under control. Girls would say - there's something about him.
Rehan, on the other hand, was completely different - open-minded, innocent, with a cute face, a lovely smile, and eyes that could make anyone want to drown in them. When Aarav and Rehan were together, it was difficult to choose between them. Both were handsome, and it was hard for anyone to decide who to prefer.
But there was an unspoken rivalry between them, a constant one-upmanship, with each trying to outdo the other, and prove who was more perfect. Their friendship had a strange competitiveness, which sometimes turned into arguments, but deep down, they were very special to each other.
Their banter and rivalry were interspersed with an unspoken understanding, which made their bond stronger. They knew that their friendship was bigger than any challenge, and they would always stand by each other.
As the whole team was heading back to the investigation site in the evening, Rehan and Ayaan lagged behind a bit. Rehan stopped Ayaan, pointing towards a path, and said, "Why don't we take this route?"
Ayaan said, "No, the whole team is going this way, we'll go with them."
Rehan smiled and said, "But I'm going this way, the GPS shows a shortcut, and it feels like something is calling me."
Ayaan said in a calm tone, "Then we definitely won't go."
Rehan remained adamant. He said, "Do one thing - you go via the main route, I'll come from this side. I'll be back in 15 minutes, if anything feels off, just call me, and I'll immediately call you, and I'll also share my location with you on WhatsApp."
Ayaan looked at him, then said, "Okay, go, but come back if anything happens within 15 minutes."
A satisfied smile appeared on Rehan's face, and he said, "Deal!"
Ayaan agreed, and Rehan started walking on the unknown path. Ayaan watched him go, and then joined the team again.
Aarav watched him go, and also overheard Rehan and Ayan's conversation.
Time passed. Five minutes, ten minutes... Aarav started to feel restless. A voice inside his mind kept saying - go after Rehan, but his hatred was holding him back: "I hate him, but he's also my friend."
After a while, he quietly left the team and followed the same lost path. A little further, he saw Rehan bent over a deep pit, looking down. The surroundings were dark; there was a strange chill and smell in the air.
Aarav softly tapped on his back from behind and said, "Why are you alone here? Come back, everyone is waiting."
Rehan suddenly turned around and said, "What's it to you? Something down there is calling me."
Aarav's face hardened. He said, "Stop searching like this, there's nothing here for you. Just come!"
There was an argument between them; Aarav grabbed Rehan's hand and started dragging him away forcefully. Just then, both saw something in the depth of that pit - a light that had nothing to do with light, yet it was pulling them towards it - an old statue buried in the dirt.
The statue's surface had a dim, internal glow; as if someone had lit a lamp inside.
Aarav warned, "Don't touch it - something doesn't feel right."
But Rehan didn't listen; his fingers had already cleared the dirt, and he started pulling the statue.
The statue came out, and both started fighting over it - sometimes it was with Aarav, sometimes with Rehan. There was a small scuffle between them.
Suddenly the statue slipped and fell on the stone. As it fell, the environment changed - the smell of ghee in the air turned into a cold, darkness spread all around.
Rehan started stepping back, but that black shadow rose from their feet and seemed to seep into their hearts.
Both felt a sense of uncertainty; darkness clouded their eyes, their breath caught.
And then they passed out.
They didn't know how much time had passed. When they regained consciousness, they were in a small room. Their team members, boss, and Vishal were standing in front of them, all with a mix of worry and anger on their faces.
The boss said in a stern voice, "The whole evening was wasted. Work got stuck because of you two. First get okay, then we'll talk."
Vishal asked with his hand on his forehead, "Where were you guys? You both were found unconscious near that pit. Someone saw and brought you here."
Rehan said softly, "I don't remember anything... just that darkness came over my eyes, that's all I remember."
Aarav nodded, "Yeah, same here. You guys go; we're tired."
Everyone left, and the door closed.
There was silence for a while. Then suddenly Aarav got up and locked the door from inside.
His eyes no longer had the same mischief; there was something else there - anger.
He went to Rehan and grabbed his collar, shouting, "Because of you, I got humiliated!"
Rehan said angrily, "Who asked you to follow me? You always interfere."
Aarav replied, "I came after you because I care about you."
Rehan's voice suddenly turned cold, and old pain returned to his eyes. "Care... remember when we were investigating a case? One day everything turned upside down - everything was under pressure, I fell sick. The boss suddenly gave all the work to you, and you didn't stop it. You didn't even say it was because of you."
Aarav's face slightly contorted. He was about to say something when Rehan interrupted, "You handled that presentation, yeah - and got the praise. But I was the one who solved the case. I extracted all the data, told the truth - but when everyone saw, you were made the hero."
Aarav's voice had a hint of regret. He said with folded hands, "How could I stop it? He was the boss - the decision was his. But I admit, I should've mentioned your name. Forgive me. I don't want to fight with you. Really, I respect you."
Rehan's eyes softened - the anger subsided a bit. He remained silent for a while, then said softly, "Okay... let it go."
But in a moment, the tension between them eased. Their old hurt lessened.
Both Rehan and Aarav were lost in thought.
The room's walls had a soft light, and there was an unspoken fear in the air.
Both were thinking the same thing - how did that statue fall on its own, and what was that black shadow?
Aarav said softly, "Rehan... did you see it too? As soon as the statue fell, something entered us and then disappeared?"
Rehan nodded, "Yeah, but the question is where did it go? And if it wasn't just our eyes playing tricks, then where is it now?"
For a moment, both remained silent, looking at each other. Then Rehan broke the silence, lightening the mood, "Dude, did you see... when the statue fell, the darkness—"
Aarav immediately cut him off, "Come on, drop it! You've gone into Netflix mode. I think we're just overthinking."
Rehan joked, "Yeah, sure. From tomorrow, we'll just think for a living!"
They looked at each other for a moment and burst out laughing.
"Let's grab some food," Aarav said.
Both picked up their plates.
Aarav joked, "If the boss had seen us, he would've said - these two are not on the site, they're on a serial set."
Both laughed again.
But despite the laughter, the same question, the same fear, and the same dark shadow were still silently present.
Rehan laughed, "Yeah, and then he'd say - take a certificate of scolding instead of a bonus."
Both laughed even harder.
The next morning, in the office, the boss's eyes sparkled with anger.
"You two were supposed to stay with the team! Why did you go off on your own?"
Both looked down together.
"Sorry, sir..."
The boss took a deep breath, "If you do this again, I'll suspend both of you!"
Rehan glanced at Aarav softly, "Bro, you tell him, we were just checking the route..."
Aarav whispered, "Shut up, or we'll get into more trouble."
The boss slammed the file on the desk - "Get out, and show some seriousness!"
Both looked at each other, then hid their smiles.
"Yes, sir!" - they said together and burst out laughing as they exited.
At 2:45 AM, the whole city was asleep - empty roads, dim lights, and a mysterious layer of cold in the air.
But on two house balconies - two silhouettes stood.
Aarav and Rehan.
Both had come out to their balconies, looking in the same direction - at the moon.
Their faces had the same restlessness.
Aarav's eyes glowed slightly red. He looked up at the sky softly - his voice low, but echoing in the silence - "Mam रक्तम् पानं इच्छामि... मम तृष्णा अग्निवत् ज्वलति..." (I want blood... my thirst is burning like fire.)
His breath was heavy. The wind was moving his hair, as if some invisible power was calling him.
At the same time, on the other side - Rehan on his balcony. His lips were dry, eyes glowing. He too spoke softly, "I need blood... I'm thirsty... so thirsty..."
Both unaware of each other, but in the same moment - their eyes fixed on the moon.
A whisper echoed in the air - neither said it, neither heard it, but both felt it - "I'll give you blood... but you have to do something for me in return."
Aarav and Rehan - both had a slight smile on their lips, but it wasn't a human smile - it was of a awakened demon.