Grandpa's Surgery

It was summer, we had nothing to do, our final exams were over and all we did was play video games together for hours every day. We four grew up together and basically knew everything about each other by this incident still haunts me everyday night.

Me, Adi, Hari, and Dani were playing video games at Haris's. Since it was a vacation I suggested we all should go somewhere for few days to travel. Everyone agreed except Dani. I asked why -

Dani - " we can go next month, just not right now "

Adi - " but why ?"

Dani - " I am going somewhere".

Parth - " you are going somewhere alone ?"

Dani - " I'm going with my parents".

Adi - " so you are going somewhere with your parents to travel. Why don't you just say so ?".

Dani - " not travel, I and my parents are taking my grandfather to Mumbai for surgery".

This conversation ended and no one brought it up again. We all decided we all can go out when Dani comes back from Mumbai. Dani left for Mumbai Sunday night and said he would return in two weeks. 

Dani and Hari lived in the Same building and Hari's apartment was right next to Dani's. one weird thing about their building is that no one lives there except those two families. We all used to play games at Haris's apartment. When we walked past Dani's house we noticed the nameplate was gone which was a little weird but we didn't think much about it. It was 8 pm and I was going back to my home. Walking on the street I looked up and saw that one window was broken at Dani's apartment. I remembered correctly that it was not broken at all before Dani left but I had to race home so I didn't pay much attention. The next morning I called Dani about his broken window but no one picked up.

I called Hari but he didn't pick up the phone either so Adi and I decided to go to Haris's apartment and we found police surrounding their building. They didn't let us in, we as asked what happened to which they replied - 

" A kid named Hari is missing "

Adi - " someone kidnapped Hari ?"

" We don't know yet " - the cop replied

I had a strong intuition something was weird and it had something to do with Dani's apartment.

Adi and I were confused and scared. Hari's parents didn't know anything where Hari was. Hari Never told them that he was going somewhere and he couldn't just disappear into thin air. He didn't even take his cellphone with him.

I decided to stay at Adi's house for a night. From his balcony, I could clearly see the broken window at Dani's apartment. Adi said it was a waste of time and we should leave the investigation to the police.

It was 12 am and we saw nothing but darkness through the window. Hours passed but we saw no movement, Adi got tired and went to sleep but I was wide awake.

It was almost 4 am and I saw the lights turn on for two seconds before getting dark again. I woke up Adi and told him "I saw the lights turn on and off !" To which he replied -

" Let me drive or ill die ".

He was still dreaming. The next morning I went to those cops and told them what I saw. They said it could be a fault in the lights and nothing more. I tried to convince them something was up with that house. I told them everything about the nameplate, windows. One of them finally agreed to come with me and take a look. 

Mr. Dhanraj knocked on the door and rang the bell a few times but no one answered. After a few minutes he tried to open the door, I thought it was locked from the outside but Mr. Dhanraj said it was locked from the inside. He said he would come back in few hours with a warrant, before that he can't break the door and enter the apartment.

He told me to go home and said he would let me known if he finds someone or something. A whole afternoon went by and I heard from no one, I called Adi and told them something which I thought was going to happen in a few hours. Adi agreed and we hung up our conversation. I went back to the police station to meet Mr. Dhanraj, the cops there told me Mr Dhanraj and his partner haven't returned for few hours.

I thought, I thought, and tried to put everything into pieces. Dani and Hari's apartment is on the same floor which was 3rd. Dani's window was broken after he left on Monday night, today is Thursday. His nameplate was also gone after he left. Hari suddenly disappeared after a day and the following night I saw the lights turn on for exactly two seconds. 

I remember Dani's grandpa's name was Kaushik but it had been a long time since anyone saw him, he never got out of the house or even his room. We never heard his voice whenever we were at Dani's house.

I decided to take the risk and break into Dani's apartment at midnight.

At 12:30 am I quietly unlocked the door after many efforts. I told my parents I was staying at Adi's and I told Adi what I was going to do. I went in but the lights were not working, I looked around for any clue with a small flashlight. I found a room where there was no furniture at all and it was hard to see anything. I spotted a handcuffed to the wall with my flashlight, as I went to check it I tripped on something and hit my head on the wall. It was Mr. Dhanraj whose body was on the floor and I didn't know whether he was dead or unconscious. That handcuffed to the wall was just a hand, nobody.

I woke up Mr. Dhanraj and told him:

- " We should leave right now and come back with more cops !!"

I put his hand on my shoulder so he could walk.

- "I can't walk ! I can't feel my legs ".

I looked and saw there was nothing from waist down. Mr. Dhanraj's both legs were gone. Before I could process anything I heard some noise coming towards the room. I dragged Mr. Dhanraj and Myself quickly to the corner of the room.

Mr. Dhanraj ( whispering) - "I came back with my partner to search the apartment and to find out who was living inside. I think I know what is happening here "

Parth - " where is your partner? and did you find Hari ?"

Mr. Dhanraj - " shhh. Lower your voice. A man lives here with one hand. The last thing I remember is that when Mahesh and I came to search the apartment we came into this room and found a skeleton. We both were very shocked and continued to search the apartment, after some time I felt someone's hand on my shoulder, Mahesh pushed me and I fell on a glass table."

Out of nowhere, we heard a loud thud of the door closing.

Parth screamed -" use your gun !"

Mr. Dhanraj - " I don't know where it is "

We heard someone loudly laughing in the room. We became more scared and tried to find something to defend ourselves but couldn't. With great fear, I pointed my flashlight to the person who was laughing in the room. As Mr. Dhanraj said it was an old man with a hammer in his only hand. He ran towards us, as I saw the hammer coming towards my head I heard gunshots outside the room and lost my consciousness.

I woke up the next day in the hospital with cops, doctor ,my family and Adi around me . I was anxious, happy and I gradually spoke :

- " What happened to me ?"

Doctor - " you are going to be okay, you are safe now ".

Parth - "I want to know everything, what happened to Mr. Dhanraj? where is Hari? "

Adi - " Hari is no more Parth ".

Parth - " what ?"

Cop - " Mr. Dhanraj is also dead "

Parth - " how? He was alive, we were together, the old man came in with a hammer, I heard gunshots and suddenly I.

Cop - "it's okay, slow down we know what happened. Your friend Adi will tell you everything ".

The cops and the doctor went out of the room. I asked mom and dad to leave me with Adi. My mom cried and dad took her out of the room.

Adi - " Dani didn't go to Mumbai for his grandpa's surgery. "

Parth - " what do you mean ".

Adi - " Dani and his parents left forever that's why we didn't saw any nameplate outside their apartment. Cops are now looking for them.

Parth - " cops! I'm not following you, Adi "

Adi - "do you know Mr Kaushik ? Dani's grandpa ."

Parth - " yes"

Adi - " The old man with one hand who was going to attack you with a hammer, he is Mr. Kaushik ."

Parth - " then why did Dani lie?"

Adi - " Mr kaushik is a cannibal "

Parth - " you are joking, that can't be !"

Adi - " you know how we always thought that Adi and Hari were the only ones living in the building. Before Hari started living in that building. Dani's parents used to kidnap all the people living in the building one by one , tie them up and leave them to Mr Kaushik to that same room where he was handcuffed to the wall . Mr. Kaushik used to eat them alive for so many years."

Parth - " why didn't they do anything to Hari and his parents? And how did Hari died ?"

Adi - " when Hari came to live here, he became Friends with Dani so Dani's parents couldn't hurt them but Mr. Kaushik's hunger increased over time and got more dangerous. Dani's parents decided to leave this place forever and left Mr. Kaushik tied to a wall to die or found by the police."

I cried and screamed.

- " What happened to Hari Adi ?"

Adi - "I remember you telling me that Dani's apartment's window was broken after he was gone. Mr. Kaushik cut his hand which was handcuffed to the wall with a saw. He broke the window and tried to escape but he didn't know Dani's parents left the door open for the police. The cops assume Hari must have noticed the open door and went in, Mr. Kaushik saw him enter and hit him in the head with a hammer and closed the door from the inside. Hari was trapped inside and knew the police were trying to find him. He somehow tried to turn on the lights to give a signal to anyone who would be looking there but Mr. Kaushik got to him ."

Parth - " and Mr. Dhanraj ?"

Adi - " the doctors said he had a heart attack and died ."

Parth - " when he attacked with the hammer, he just had a heart attack at that moment but did they found his partner ? and how did the cops know everything in one day ?".

Adi - " when you told me to tell the police that you were breaking into Dani's apartment, they wasted no time, I was outside and saw them entering with gunshots. They shot Mr. Kaushik on the shoulder from which you passed out and Mr. Dhanraj died. They found Hari's skeleton and some flesh. The other cop Mr. Mahesh also died and a lot of his flesh was eaten "

Parth - " you said the cops shot Mr. Kaushik on the shoulder".

Adi - " Mr. Kaushik is still alive who is also in this hospital, he told cops everything. The cops are now looking for Dani's parents for kidnapping 13 people and feeding them to a cannibal in their home."