The Natural Or Supernatural

Parul was a gorgeous girl of 24, living in Mumbai. She had a slim figure and her height was 5'7'. Though she had a dusky complexion, her facial features were very sharp. She used to go for a brisk morning walk in the children's park. She had completed her MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and worked for an IT company as a HR manager. Her father was a retired army officer while her mother was a home maker. Her parents doted upon her. 

She was leading a perfect life until that fateful incident occurred. It was Saturday. Parul woke up earlier than usual and got ready for her morning walk. The road to the park was almost deserted. She felt a bit nervous and started chanting prayers. She entered the park and started walking on the gravel path. After covering some distance, Parul heard a blood curdling scream. She decided to investigate and headed towards the source of the disturbing noise. 

As she came near a gorse bush, she witnessed a horrific scene. Five men had just committed a gang rape and murdered a girl. The poor hapless victim was around 15 years of age and lying in a pool of blood. They were about to flee the scene of crime, when Parul lunged at them and caught hold of one of the men. She called them all sorts of names and threatened to call the police. The gang leader whose name was Manoj knocked her unconscious. He picked her up and ordered one of his cronies Jatin to carry the corpse of the teenager. Jatin dumped the dead body on the roof of the minivan. Manoj got in with Parul who was still unconscious. Rest of his comrades, Shekhar, Neeraj, Madan and Jatin joined him and the vehicle moved ahead. Manoj went on to satisfy his insatiable lust by forcing himself upon Parul.

They took turns in raping her. Manoj strangled her till she died. They stopped their van near a secluded spot. The teenager’s body was brought down from the roof. They chopped the two bodies into several pieces and disposed them so that their victims could not be identified. 

Parul's parents reported her disappearance to the police after waiting for a couple of days.

A fortnight had passed after the gruesome murders. The criminals were still scot-free and continued their business of ruining innocent lives. Their lust for girls was ever increasing. They continued to prey on the unsuspecting victims. They didn't realise the impending doom that lay ahead.

It was midnight when Manoj returned home after spending the day with his friends. He was so exhausted that he immediately fell asleep. After some time, a strong odour of rotten flesh permeated the room. Unable to bear the stench, Manoj sat upright with eyes wide open. He was taken aback to see two figures creeping towards him. They were the souls of Parul and the teenager. He wondered how they entered his bedroom, though he had locked it. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was not dreaming. The figures flashed him a dreadful smile revealing their fangs instead of teeth. " Who are you? " asked Manoj ," How did you enter my room?" One of them replied," Don't you recognise us? You had used our body to fulfill your carnal desire and then killed us with the help of your friends. Now we are yearning for you. We have come back for you."

The two figures came near him with open arms and were about to dig their fangs on his flesh. He let out a huge scream," Aaaaargh" and fell off his bed with a thud. His wife woke up with a fright and saw him lying motionless on the floor. She went near him and shook him thoroughly but there was no response. He was dead. His body was sent for autopsy to ascertain the cause of his death. The report stated that he had died of a massive heart attack. His friends, Jatin, Madan, Neeraj and Shekhar were deeply shaken by his sudden demise. They offered their condolences to his wife and went away pondering over the reason for the unexpected heart attack.

A couple of months after Manoj's death, Jatin left for Ooty with his family to spend their summer vacation. Jatin was so upset with his friend's death that he had been looking forward to a change of place to get over the tragedy. It was a fine evening. Jatin and his family were enjoying boating in the beautiful lake. Tragedy struck the family when another boat collided with them. As a result of the collision, the boat capsized and the entire family drowned. Their bodies were fished out of the lake next day.

Jatin’s death left rest of the gang devastated. They never expected to lose two of their close friends within a span of three months.

Shekhar, Neeraj and Madan went to a bar and ordered drinks. Shekhar said, “ I never thought we would witness the untimely demise of Manoj and Jatin. They were hardly in their forties. Manoj was absolutely hale and hearty. He never had any medical history. I can’t understand how he had experienced a massive heart attack.” His friends did not reply but went ahead with their booze. Since they were hard-core criminals, they resumed their unlawful business.They lived peacefully for the next six months. They brushed off their partners' deaths as mere coincidence.

It was the month of August. Monsoon had started unleashing it’s fury. Shekhar was returning home after completing an underhand dealing. The road was flooded with water. Shekhar found difficulty in driving. The entire area was plunged in darkness because of the torrential rain. He couldn’t see the danger lying ahead. A leopard had strayed away from the nearby woods and sought refuge in Shekhar's house. He heard a rustling sound of the leaves from the bushes. Just as he was about to investigate, the leopard sprang at him suddenly and killed him. The leopard devoured half of his body, leaving behind his head and upper torso.

When his friends, Neeraj and Madan came to visit him the next morning, they screamed in fright after seeing his half eaten dead body. They fled away instantly and did not stop until they reached home safely. They were so scared that they remained confined to their houses for several months. They didn’t dare to venture out for the fear of losing their lives.

It was going to be a year since Parul’s death. Her mother died as a heart broken woman pining for her missing daughter while her father committed suicide. Death reunited them. 

Neerajand Madan were tired of their self imposed imprisonment. They decided to emigrate to London and spend rest of their lives together. 

They boarded their flight which took off immediately. They were now relaxed. Both of them were enjoying their journey. After covering some distance, the plane developed a technical snag. It became turbulent. The pilots tried their best to maneuver the plane to safety. Unfortunately, they lost control and the plane crashed into the ocean, instantly killing all the passengers.

The justice prevailed. Manoj and his friends met with a horrible death, as a punishment for their endless crimes.