Nightmares Unveiled

Rhea’s stomach fluttered with a mix of anticipation and delight as she navigated through the transient streets of Delhi. Accustomed to the ways of a small town, Rhea had never fathomed as a child about the dreams that this vast city would imbibe into her. Perhaps that was why she left her tranquil home in Banaras to study at one of Delhi’s most prestigious colleges. Those couple of years really did bring her closer to her grandmother before she moved abroad to pursue a promising career in economics.

Since then it had been more than two years since she set foot into this vibrant agglomerate and now, finally back, Rhea was more than eager to visit her beloved grandparents. As her cab raced through the chaotic Delhi traffic, every minute felt like an eternity, the longest of her life, until she finally arrived.

The house seemed exactly as she remembered it when she had left it, the rose plants nestled amongst the dandelions besides the garage that prided itself in the arrayed car collection of her grandfather.

A smile appeared upon her lips as she rang the doorbell. It took some time before the door finally opened to the merry faces of the beloved duo and after a warm hug and the customaries, they settled down for a cup of tea and the usual evening chatter.

Though her parents lived in Banaras due to her father’s posting, and where she was probably headed next, she was more accustomed to living here, in Delhi, in her “real home”.

“I hope your journey was smooth. How are things in the US?” her grandfather asked, sipping his tea leisurely.

“Pretty good, Daadu. I mean It is stressful living alone, but once you adjust, everything falls into place.”

“Look at you, all grown up! You were so childish in college, and now you’re so responsible,” her grandfather remarked, while her grandmother showered her with affection. Rhea beamed at the compliment, feeling like a child again.

As the evening unfolded with laughter and stories, Rhea felt a desire to visit the GK market, famous for its fine dining and shopping. While she had grown up with certain privileges, her upbringing instilled a sense of modesty, so any other day, her grandfather might have denied her request. But tonight was special, so he pulled out his cherished vintage coupe for a drive—an uncommon treat.

As she passed through the roads of the neighbourhood, all her memories came flooding back to her- all her friends, their laughter and youthful cries seemingly still echoed through those streets.

But then she saw it… amongst these houses- some known, others not so much- stood that dilapidated building, its crumbling walls and decaying roof stood testament to its horrific past. She still remembered the chilling account of cold-blooded murder of an old couple in this ramshackle villa.

Her gaze traced its daunting outline against the moonlight till it fell upon an indistinct humanoid figure atop of the house. It moved awkwardly and seemingly waved at the duo as their car crawled through the street.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing, but in an instant, it vanished.

“Nothing’s there,” her grandfather said, scanning the old structure.

“I thought I saw something… never mind, I must be imagining things,” she murmured, her thoughts trailing into the darkness.

Soon they reached the market but the lively place contrasted profoundly to Rhea’s worrisome thoughts that hung heavily upon her and though they had barely arrived, she started insisting that they go back. Her grandfather could very well perceive the change in his dear one’s countenance and therefore made it a point to take a different route back home.

***

Once back, Rhea headed straight to bed, her appetite gone, replaced by a gnawing sense of dread—her unsettling gift had returned.

Sinking back into her cosy bed, her fatigue began to ebb, but the image of that daunting figure lingered in her mind, pushing her into a restless sleep.

***

She opened her eyes. She stood in a familiar alleyway... it was the same alleyway where that dreaded house stood. A chill swept through her as she whipped around- the whole street was unsettlingly empty, engulfed in menacing darkness save the street lamps which did little to soothe her.

Instinctively, her mind presaged her to flee but her feet didn’t follow the suit. She felt foreign in her own body, her mind completely detached from her actions like a mute spectator.

“No-No please don’t…” She cried but her feet marched unrestraint towards the dilapidated building. Each step sent her heart racing, she could feel every sensation- the heart thumping wildly in her chest, the legs trembling and her breaths were shallow and quick - yet she found it impossible to dictate her body.

Soon enough, she was standing at it’s gate, her eyes scouring through the crumbling structure from corner to corner until they settled on a single figure—a man, she thought—that was standing on the house's balcony. The daunting silhouette remained unwavering, remarkably still- she wondered why… until it dawned upon her… it was looking directly at her, staring at her, awaiting her. A chill ran down her spine at the thought of it.

As if that weren't enough, she continued to trot and enter the building—or rather what remained of it. With staggering steps, she managed to ascend the debris towards, what seemed to be, the master bedroom. The house was indeed a mess of wilderness growing all over and all around the derailed structure.

With steady steps and equally unequal breaths, she managed to reach the balcony. However, contrast to what she had fathomed, it was empty. Distant lightning roared through the sky and with it came a gust of solitude. Why and how she came to be here at this ungodly hour was beyond her comprehension.

“Go away!” A burst of pure horror burst through her chest as the shriek reverberated within her. She whipped around, or rather her body did, to witness a sight that had her in throes of dismay.

There, against the darkness of the night, stood a woman, her face concealed by a veil of frizzled white hair, obscuring the entirety of her countenance save a pair of bloodshot eyes, glazing and piercing her soul. The tiny mask of serenity, hurled by her silver hair coupled with her snowy saree was shattered by a blotch on it, as red as the moon that gleamed above. She wanted to shriek, to run, to succumb but nothing would happen…she stood frozen, consumed by fear against the insanity that unfurled before her.

Yet something felt off—the woman’s gaze wasn’t on her but beyond. Panic gripped her as she sensed an ominous presence behind her. She could feel its demonic growls and those enraged breaths quicken upon her shoulder. She wished to close her eyes but couldn’t… almost as if, whatever that thing was, it derived sadistic pleasure from her immense sense of trepidation.

She slowly twisted her neck behind her until her face, that gleamed with perspiration, could no longer. Her feet followed suit until she could make out a man wrapped in a saffron cloth, his eyes a pair of hollow sockets and his rotten body teeming with fresh bruises. The sight could have knocked the wits out of the most resilient man however Rhea wasn’t allowed to do so. She became a mute witness, overwhelmed by pure, unblemished fear.

“This is my home!” he shouted, brandishing a blood-stained dagger as he lunged at her. She braced herself for the impact but much to her bewilderment, the man seemingly passed through her. she stood, for a moment, too baffled to make any sense of it all till her nausea kicked-in. Her head started to spin, her heart too weak to support her anymore as she fell onto the icy floor. The last thing that went through her ear was, as remarkably as she could make sense of it, a blood-curdling shriek of woman. Her agony resounding in her words “We trusted you!”, shattering the stillness of this horrendous night.

***

She slowly opened her eyes, the icy sensation of the floor was replaced by the familiar warmth of her bed. Intense pain shot up in her body with the slightest excursion, sending her in throes of awful reminiscent of the previous night. Her vision seemed foggy and disoriented, her head hammering with her dreamy ordeal.

With wobbly limbs, she managed to lift herself up… only to feel a jolt of agony in her abdomen. Her heart sank at the thought of it. She lifted off her shirt to confirm her worst fear. With trembling fingers, she unveiled the horror and there it was… a bruise- deep and dark hued- as from a stab to the gut.

A Cold realization gripped her—this was no dream after all!

-The End