I Wonder Who Will Be Next?

People would hear her say, "I wonder who will be next?"

Anna was a budding psychology student in her third year in college and was on to breaking-edge technology in psychology about how mind-control works. She would scourge through the material on the internet and check out their credibility in her laboratory. Most of her subjects were from random students and young people in and around her college who were tested to be more susceptible to changes of the mind.

She was especially interested in a young girl who seemed to be very suggestible, as this was the type of person she needed for research in the human mind. She thought as she had lost her parents in a car crash and also her boyfriend recently, she was at least helping the girl out with the decent stipend that she was allowed to give her subjects as compensation to be part of her research via the grant given by a benefactor of the school. At least she was well-funded, which gave her the freedom to choose proper subjects and not just anyone.

She chose Minishka because she was only 19 years old, just out of high school, and worked as a waitress to cover her cost of living just barely. She had a blank-ish look on her face which young Anna decided was lack of a decisive strong nature. Besides, the stipend helped her save a little which made Anna feel good about herself too.

Today evening she decided to take Minishka to the top of a tall abandoned building to see if she was afraid of heights and if yes, could that fear be removed by suggestions and mind control? But first, she had to make her comfortable. She saw that she was wearing a new golden watch, it was as good a topic as any to start off with.

"That's a nice watch Minishka!"

She touched the golden watch, she didn't smile “Yes, isn't it…my boyfriend didn’t buy me this watch. I told him I liked it, but he said he couldn’t buy it for me. So I got angry at him.” Something in Minishka’s voice felt oddly hollow. There was no sorrow about the loss of the man she loved. Anna suddenly felt a chill, it was very cold up here.

"Are okay to be out here Minishka? It's very high up, you know. But the view is beautiful. We are alone up here to enjoy it!"

"I'm not afraid of heights. Most people are afraid I guess. But I'm not, I know Karate and am very skillful in gymnastics."

She also began to wonder about this girl. She did not seem sad about her parents' or her boyfriend's untimely deaths. Was this her way of grieving? Trying not to show fear.

Anna was curious and began to probe.

“How did your boyfriend die, Minishka?”

“I think he was murdered, Anna. They tell me he committed suicide and jumped off a building, but I don’t think so. He was so full of life and energy. He wanted to become a success in everything, so much determination was in him. He was hardly suicidal.” She looked at Anna with her big dark eyes. Anna thought quickly, this conversation certainly didn’t go as planned…. let's change the topic to her parents!

“Your parents had a car crash…?”

“Yes, they didn’t wear seat belts….it is written almost everywhere that you must wear seatbelts, else you are inviting death upon you.”

“They don’t mean that! They just put advertisements to tell people to take the precaution of wearing a seatbelt,” Anna said

“But it means the same thing, doesn’t it?”

Anna couldn’t argue with that, especially as her parents had been negligent. It made Anna uncomfortable.

Thankfully Minishka changed the subject, “I wanted to thank you for using me as a subject for your research. The stipend really helps me buy things that I otherwise couldn’t have afforded.”

Anna smiled. “No problem. And besides, it’s a two-way thing. I research on your experiences and reactions, and humanity as a whole is benefited by the research.”

Thank goodness the conversation had moved away from death and murder! But Minishka wasn't quite finished yet about it. She looked at Anna.

"We are alone here on top of this building, aren't we?" Minishka asked

"Are you scared to be on top of the building? There is nothing to be afraid of," Anna said gently.

Minishka said angrily, "I already told you that I am not afraid of heights. Why don't you listen to me? Why don't you believe me? You are just like the others!"

A sudden flash of hot white anger. Then, she was quiet again.

Then she was silent and spoke slowly, "Everyone around me has died Anna. Do you know why?"

Anna shook her head quietly. Somehow she began to feel not quite safe.

"Err... Minishka..." but the other girl didn't hear her as she continued to talk.

"Because they didn't listen to me. I told my parents that they should wear seatbelts. They would never listen, and I would get angrier and angrier at them. So you see, I crashed the car, I knew I wouldn't die because I was wearing my seat belt."

Anna looked at her in horror.

"And you see, my boyfriend, he made me angry too, so I threw him over the terrace. No one would think a little thing like me would ever be able to do a thing like that. But I'm much stronger than I look, Anna. I don't like it when people do not listen to me." And she began walking purposely towards Anna. She didn't seem weak or tiny but strong and forceful suddenly. "We are all alone up here, aren't we? You said so yourself. This is an abandoned building."

O, God! Anna thought. This girl was mad! A homicidal maniac! She had to get out of there. But let's try to calm her down.

"Minishka, there is no need to be upset. Okay, so you are not scared of heights. Let's go downstairs now, you understand this is just for research purposes - like an experiment."

“But Anna, now you know about me...I cannot let you live." Anna saw blood-lust in her dark eyes...and she whispered, "Besides, I like playing God. Able to take away life so easily..."

Anna began to run, but there was no place to run downstairs as Minishka was blocking the door, so she ran to the edge of the terrace. She knew what she would do....she slowed down a little and just as she felt Minishka's hand about to push her over, she twisted and bent down and Minishka fell forward and tripped over her body.

Anna watched as Minishka fell down the building....down down down...almost like in slow motion, but she dared not look all the way down. Soon she heard a sickening sound of a heavyweight hitting the ground below.

She tried to stop herself from screaming and crying as she hurried downstairs to the place where she heard Minishka fall. She could say it was an accident. But inwardly she thought that overall she had done a good deed. She rid the world of a mad murderer before she could kill more people. When she reached down, she could not find her body! She had a terrible feeling as if someone or something was watching her with murderous intent.

She turned to see a malevolent broken human coming towards her from the shadows. Anna screamed and began to run away. A hollow voice whispered in her ear, "No matter where you go I will find you. You will know it's me."

She hailed a cab and rushed home. What happened to the body? She didn't believe in ghosts! Did she actually see a ghost?

She had to think clearly, like a researcher.....she couldn't go to the police station. What would she say? There was no body. Did Minishka somehow manage to survive the fall from 15 floors? That's not possible. She shut her eyes, praying to reach home.

"Do you want this watch? You told me it was a nice one." she heard the cab driver ask her. But it wasn't a cab driver.

She opened her eyes and saw the golden watch...Miniskha's golden watch....the person holding it ....looked like a horribly disfigured Minishka. "Why are you scared of me? After all, you did this to me." Anna began to scream in the cab.

In the newspaper, the next day featured a taxi accident near an abandoned building. One woman died in the crash while the other was badly injured but alive.

Minishka was after all a gymnast and was trained not to be afraid of heights. She was really a lovely girl and didn't like it when people didn't listen to her.

People would hear her say to herself as she looked straight at them, "I wonder who will be next?"