Chapter II: House With Human Ash

Chapter II

Ravi was a young IT professional and worked in one of the big IT firms in the city. He hailed from a small village and was well-educated. Well, he was liked by everyone because of his charming nature and an inherent desire to help others always. He was unlike others of his age, who believed that “Life gave you multiple chances and opportunities, and it is up to you to recognize and grab those opportunities.” He was working hard to shift his family to the city so that they could stay all together. His family consisted of his parents and one younger brother. He was also looking for more affordable accommodation from the place where he stayed for the moment.

It was Sunday morning, when one of his roommates found a room. Sunny said, “we can go and talk to this guy, Mukesh Singh. He is the landlord.”

Ravi, “okay, but where and how is this place?”

Sunny, “this is not far from here. Though I have to warn you that Mukesh Singh is a cranky old fellow, and he doesn’t like much haggling. Also, he is a very strict disciplinarian.”

Ravi “that’s okay. But how much will he charge?”

Sunny, “that we will have to go and find out.”

So, without delaying any further, they went to check this place out in the next possible time they had. Indeed, Mukesh Singh was a cranky old fellow as he was waiting impatiently for these two for a long time. So as soon as Ravi and sunny arrived, he started shouting at them.

Mukesh, “Why are you so late? I have been waiting here for the past two hours. You people have no sense of responsibility or commitment.”

Ravi and sunny exchanged glances between them and could not utter a single word in defense. They were cowered in front of this old man, who despite his advanced age was ramrod erect. Though he wore glasses, his eyes seemed to bore through them and also his white flowing beard also seemed to play an important part in his tirade against them as he kept his head bobbing forwards and backwards.

Finally, Ravi gathered courage and said, “Uncle, please don’t be so angry with us. We were caught in traffic, and we are extremely apologetic to have kept you waiting.”

Sunny also summoned his courage and said, “Please uncle, we are truly very sorry, and it won’t happen twice.”

Mukesh was still not satisfied, but Ravi somehow managed to calm him down and asked, “now, uncle, would you kindly show us the room?”

Mukesh though somewhat calm gestured them to follow upstairs. Here he showed them the room which was quite big for both of them. It was quite spacious and airy and windows. Both Ravi and Sunny were just dumbstruck looking at the size of the room and were wondering that it must be quite expensive, but they were also wondering why walls of the room were covered with wallpaper.

Ravi whispered, “this is huge. Must be as big as a mess.” sunny just nodded.

Ravi eyes while surveying the room fell on another room which was within this room. This room was, however, locked. So, he asked, “uncle there is another room here and why is it locked?” Mukesh gave him a glare and said, “no one is supposed to enter that room. That is why it’s locked.” He also said that “if you ever try to break the lock or ask unwanted questions about it, or, I will break the contract and throw you out.”

Both Ravi and Sunny exchanged curious glances, but kept quiet. Next came the question of rent, and here also it proved quite true that Mukesh was adamant on the price.

He said, “if you find it expensive, you can leave. I have a couple of more clients who are interested to take this at the current price.”

Ravi was about to say something when Sunny interrupted him and said, “wait, this is quite cheaper than the place we are living right now. You have to save money and bring Amma, baba and the whole family. So don’t argue with him, as I had warned you earlier.” Ravi had to reluctantly agree and both of them shifted to that room the same day.

That very night, Ravi returned home late at night after working on a project and went straight to bed at around half past midnight. He had barely slept for half an hour or so when he suddenly woke up on hearing a loud scratching sound coming somewhere from the apartment.

At first, he was too tired to get up but when the sound grew a bit louder, he got up and looked around but couldn’t find anything. Meanwhile, Sunny was sleeping quite peacefully. So, Ravi thought “must be rats” and went back to sleep.

After a few minutes, the sound of scratching seemed to have come nearer to where Ravi was sleeping. So, he again got up and woke Sunny up. He asked Sunny, “did you hear that?” Sunny, in mid-sleep, just yawned and said “what?”

Ravi “the scratching sound, what else?”

Sunny, “I can’t hear any sound. Go back to sleep and let me sleep also.”

Ravi thought “I must be hearing things in my sleep” with that he went back to sleep.

However, hard Ravi tried to sleep, the incessant scratching noise would not let him sleep throughout the night. The strange thing was that noise seemed to come throughout the apartment and when he tried to focus on the source of the sound, it would stop abruptly. This whole night ordeal made Ravi grumpy and irritated the next morning. The next morning, he asked Sunny “did you hear the scratching noise?”

Sunny, “What scratching noise?”

Ravi, “the one which kept me awake the whole night.”

Sunny, “well, I did not hear any noise. In fact, I was so tired that I fell asleep instantly.” Ravi was irritated to respond and decided to talk to Mukesh instead.

So, the next day, Ravi was in an irritated and confrontational mood, so he went and asked Mukesh that “You have rats in the apartment, and they made such a ruckus that I could not sleep properly” the landlord looked at him with a confused look and said that he had specially got this apartment cleaned and renovated before their arrival and there couldn’t have been any rats, but he would still look into it.

That day, Ravi was in a foul mood throughout the day, and even in the office people were surprised by the way he spoke with them. Though, in the latter half of the day, he apologized for his behavior and explained the reason for it.

That night again the same ordeal continued and Ravi was literally in tears as to why was he being tortured like this.

Meanwhile, Sunny was also surprised by Ravi’s behavior and asked him “Ravi, bro, what’s the matter?”

Ravi looked at him with a painful expression and said, “can’t you see that I have not been able to sleep for the past two nights?”

Sunny, on the other hand, could not understand what ordeal Ravi was going through. That night, something terrible took place that shook Ravi to the core.

As he was about to go to sleep, he heard a faint whisper, “Ravi……..” At first, he did not bother and went about doing his thing. But then age same faint whisper, “Ravi……” He looked around but could not see anyone. He even tried waking up Sunny, thinking he might have taken his name. But Sunny was fast asleep. The third time again someone called “Ravi….” and gave shrill laughter, and he also felt someone tried to pull his hand. This time Ravi was shaken up, and he decided to go outside and sleep on the bench rather than sleep in the room. 

The next morning Sunny got up early and was surprised to see that Ravi was not in the room. He looked everywhere but could not find him anywhere in the house. When he went outside, to his surprise Ravi was sleeping quite peacefully on the bench. Sunny woke him up and asked, “why are you sleeping here and what are these scratches on your hand?”

Ravi, “I could not sleep in the room.”

Sunny “what happened?”

Ravi, “You wouldn’t believe me.”

Sunny “Try me.”

Ravi, “as I was about to sleep, I heard someone calling out my name, and he pulled my hand.”

Sunny “What! You must be kidding.”

Ravi, “See, I told you wouldn’t believe me.” 

This time, however, Sunny took Ravi seriously, as he could see how miserable his friend was. So, he said, “Let’s go to Mukesh and find out what is this all about.” Ravi just nodded and looked away.

That day, however, they could not go and see Mukesh as both of them were really very busy the whole day. That night surprisingly went uneventful and both of them slept peacefully.

It was this night that was so decisive in changing both Ravi and Sunny minds about this place. It so happened that as both of them were just talking and preparing to sleep when all of a sudden, they could hear a loud banging and crying sound coming from inside the locked room! At first, they thought it must be coming from outside. Then again, the sound grew louder. Ravi looked at Sunny in a panicked state and asked, “did…. you hear that?”

Sunny “yes.”

Ravi “look…. It’s banging again! And who is crying”

Both of them were quite terrified and unsure what to do. Somehow gathering courage, they went near the door. From inside the door, they could hear a loud voice saying, “get out of my house if you want to live!” Don’t you ever dare to come here ever again, otherwise I will kill you like he killed me!

This time Sunny and Ravi barely escaped the room alive as all of a sudden, all the lights started flickering on and off all at the same time. Some incident which took in past started flashing in the room. There was also a strong wind blowing inside the room despite all the windows being closed tightly! Now, both Ravi and Sunny were too scared for their lives and ran from the room.

The next morning, both of them went straight to Mukesh and asked, “what are hiding from us?” “Why have you not told us that this room is haunted?” Mukesh looked at them with a confused expression and asks, “what are you talking about?” Then Both Ravi and Sunny recount the past few days experiences. At first, Mukesh is a bit uneasy, but then with stern glances he gets from both Ravi and Sunny, he tells them the whole story.

He then recounted the story that “2 years ago a couple had moved into the house, and at first everything was okay even they both got engaged and was planning their wedding, but six months down the line things started deteriorating as there were constant quarrels between them, the girl was scared and used to run to his house, many times neighbors had complained about them”. Then one day in a fit of rage the boy killed the girl and the boy committed suicide. He added, the girl also complains about the noises coming from the locked room. He told them he also heard the rumors about the house that it’s haunted, and many dead body ashes were found, but he didn’t believe and bought this house at very low cost.

From that day, no one wanted to stay in this apartment as Mukesh had tried once earlier also to rent it out, but the tenants ran away from the house the very next day and no one had ever dared to come since then.

Mukesh then saw scratches on Ravi’s hand and got terrified and said the girl also had that same scratch same as Ravi had and a day after that his partner killed her. Ravi got terrified, even started crying and saying I just want to go from here, I want to live!

Ravi just looked at him with rising anger. Sunny also was very upset and furious with Mukesh. Both of them decide to leave the room right then and there. Before leaving the place, both of them gave a suggestion to Mukesh that “kindly arrange for some kind of ritual and cleanse the place if you want to rent it out to someone else.”

With that, both of them went away from that place without giving it a second glance. But one thing was stuck inside Ravi’s mind if the couple loved so much why he killed his girl and commit suicide? An untold mystery was left behind to resolve, so he decided to find the answer behind the locked room and the haunted walls!

He again shifted to that place and started digging the answer, he managed to find the key to the locked room and when he place the key ……………!!

To be continued……