Present Day - 31st December 2021
Lakshya and his younger brother Abhay were celebrating the new year's eve at the local pub owned by their friend. While Abhay was busy partying on the dance floor to mark the end of the year, his older brother was contemplating at the bar regarding the events that took place over the passing year.
As Lakshya's glass ran out he called for the bartender to get him a refill, the drinks although mildly intoxicating did the job of helping him get over and accept the fact that he was engaged to a woman he barely knew as per the will of his parents, who for some reason kept pushing him to get married early. His match was a woman in her early twenties, the daughter of his father's most recent business associate and partner, beautiful yet intelligent that any passerby would consider and see them both as a perfect match. However, for some reason his heart wasn't convinced nor was he really in a hurry to get married, he regretted that he couldn't withstand the parental and family pressure that pushed him to agree.
The young man had just set up his business and wanted it to be the sole focus of his attention and energy, deep down he was beginning to wonder if the purpose of the alliance was to help him gain access to connections that would help his establishment grow, a prospect that seemed reasonable but at the same time defeated the purpose of making a name for himself. Thoughts about calling off the wedding crosses his mind however he simply didn't know how exactly could he muster the courage to do so after saying yes once already.
Abhay, once he had enough of the dance floor joined his brother to check on him, taking the seat right next to his, " you don't seem like you're enjoying the night, are the drinks working for you??" Asked Abhay
"I don't know, guess I need something stronger" answered Lakshya
"SLOW DOWN!! Your would be wife could show up anytime, I doubt she'd feel pleased to find you drunk on her arrival" reasoned Abhay
"I guess you know her well, given that you'll are classmates, by the way you seem to hold yourself in place pretty well around her now" pointed Lakshya
"Well initially it did kind of get a bit awkward earlier, but what can I do if it's come to her being a part of the family now, but I've gotta warn you though-" Abhay responded before getting interrupted by Lakshya
"Warn me about what?" asked an intrigued Lakshya
" That she is no joke when it comes to arguing, plus once she starts talking she simply doesn't know when to stop till the point arrives where you find yourself getting annoyed" revealed Abhay
"Really? she doesn't seem to be anything you describe her to be though..." pointed Lakshya to which Abhay scoffed and replied back, "Ofcourse she doesn't seem that way, you hardly have her for company so I'm not surprised over why you'd feel that way, but trust me she can be annoying if she wants to"
Unsure of what to say, Lakshya just agreed, "Right"
"So do you plan on sitting here till the end or will you join me out there?" Asked Abhay to which Lakshya shook his head conveying a no, following which Abhay left him and joined back into the crowd of people having the time of their life on the dance floor.
As it was getting close to mid night, a young woman makes her way into the pub. She was dressed in a red mini dress and ankle strapped high heels, as she is heading towards the bar she takes out a compact mirror from her blue kiss lock clutch to confirm if she looked presentable and visually appealing at the least. She had never worn a dress until today, the Tom boy she had been never made her feel to do so, however on the advice of her close friends she agreed to try something new and different for a change before showing up in front of the man she was hoping to impress for the night.
(This is what the dress looks like)
As she walked, it was very evident from her gait that she was struggling with the heels, but to give credit where it's due she managed to hold her balance pretty well amidst the discomfort she felt down her feet until she nearly tripped and fell on her face before finding herself get pulled back by a pair of hands.
"Are you okay?, it seems like you're having trouble walking in those shoes" asked a strange yet seemingly familiar voice, once she gained her balance back she turns around to thank the person who prevented her from falling flat on her face and making a fool of herself, to her surprise it was the one person she wasn't hoping to run into so soon.
"Oh, look at that, it seems like you're going all out to impress him today now aren't you?" Said Abhay who was quite surprised and stunned at the sight of the woman before him.
Taken aback by Abhay's words, the young lady denies it right away, "Why would I need to do that? I'm impressive as I am already, a dress doesn't add much to it, moreover are you alien to the concept of blending in?"
"Then why do you sound very defensive about it?" asked Abhay who was obviously not convinced judging by the flustered look that appeared on her face.
"Why do you even care? it's not like this affects you in any manner now am I right?... or wait, are you worried that this might undo your badmouthing about me?" asked the young lady
"What?! What are you getting at-" Abhay tries to reply before getting cut off by the young lady.
"Save it, I'm in no mood to argue at the moment, moreover I don't wanna keep your brother waiting" the young lady asserted herself as Abhay watched her walk away from him and head straight to the bar.
Unsure of how to react Abhay thought it would be wise to just let her be and returns back to doing what he was earlier until he noticed something on the floor and bends down to pick it up. It appeared to be a car key, unsure of whom it may have belonged to Abhay considers approaching the pub's manager and handing it over to them hoping that owner would come and claim it later.
At the bar where Lakshya was trying to get drunk, he finds his eyes suddenly get blinded by a pair of hands, right when the final count down till the next year began.
The crowd buzzed with excitement in the background and began in unison " 10....9.....8......7....."
Lakshya held on to the pair of hands while trying to figure out the identity of the person covering his eyes, the hands covering his eyes were soft to touch suggesting they belonged to a woman, "who is it?" asked Lakshya partly surprised and annoyed
"Make your guess" instructed the voice of the person covering his eyes, which was feminine confirming what he believed.
"6....5....4....." the crowd continued in the background
"Srishti, right?" Lakshya answered realising it couldn't have been anyone else
"3.....2.....1....HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!" the crowd cheered out loud in the background as Lakshya uncovered his eyes and turned around to find his fiancé there as expected.
"Happy New Year Lakshya!!!" Srishti wished Lakshya as she gave him a warm hug
"Wish you the same Srishti, I'm glad you made it" said Lakshya as he wished her back.
"I'm sorry I wasn't early as you were expecting, i didn't expect it would have taken me that long to get ready" Srishti told him in an apologetic tone.
"No, please don't be, it's fine, I'm here with Abhay anyways so you needn't feel sorry about that" Lakshya assured her
"I see..." Srishti trailed recalling her brief encounter with Abhay a while ago but decided not to bring it up while at the same time hoping that Lakshya would compliment her look for the night. "So have you been here at the bar the whole time?" Asked Srishti after noticing the mild stench of alcohol reeking from Lakshya.
Unsure of what to say, Lakshya remained silent which Srishti took as a cue to change the subject, "how about we join everyone at the—" Srishti was cut off before she could suggest moving to the dance floor.
"Listen, I'll be back in a while, need to use the restroom" Lakshya excused himself as he left the bar giving the impression he wasn't exactly pleased to have Srishti around at that moment.
"Sure, I'll wait here till you get back" Srishti murmured to herself slightly disappointed with his demeanor as she watched him leave, "forget a compliment, he doesn't even seem to care" she continued
Once Lakshya was done using the restroom he moved to the wash basin to clean his hands, it was a multi basin countertop, he lifted the tap lever expecting a stream of aereated water to run down, however it seemed like it wasn't working so he moved towards the next one and lifted its lever which also turned out to be have been dry, annoyed he decided to try out third one which to his relief did work, he extended his hands towards the stream of running water, pressed down the the button on the soap dispenser nearby with one hand right under it to allow his palm to collect the liquid which he then rubbed against the other one to form a lather under the stream of tap water, following which it then abruptly stopped running, "What the hell? Doesn't anything work here?" grumbled Lakshya. Before he could pull back his hands a red snake emerged from within the tap head and slithered right up Lakshya's left arm all the way up to his shoulder.
Afraid and unsure of what to do Lakshya thought it would be wise to remain still as he looked into the mirror observing the creature coiled up on his arm with its head close to his own following which more snakes emerged from within the remaining taps and slithered towards Lakshya, he expected them to climb up his body as well like the red one, but to his surprise they just stayed still on the floor while observing and watching in his direction.
Almost 15 minutes had passed and he then grew tired of standing still and decided to get rid of the snake coiled on his arm, he gradually turned his head towards the snake following which the snake then bit him on the forehead.
At the Singh's Mansion
"NOoooooo......" Anvay screamed as he woke up from what seemed like a terrifying nightmare. His scream woke up his wife who was asleep a moment ago right next to him.
As she woke up she noticed Anvay beaded with sweat on his forehead and panting at the same time.
"What's the matter? It seems like you had a nightmare" his wife asked with a concerned look on her face
"I'd be relieved if it were just a nightmare Shipra, but this.... it felt very real..." Anvay answered who was overcome with fret.
"What do you mean real? it's just a nightmare" his wife Shipra tried to calm him down.
Anvay got of the bed immediately and headed towards the cupboard on seeing which his wife switched on the bedside lamp.
"What are you doing Anvay?" asked Shipra who was confused for a moment
"I can't explain it at the moment but I need to head out right now" answered Anvay while he pulled out a white kurta and pants
"What do you mean? Where are you going at this time?" asked a worried Shipra
"I need to go check on our sons, can't explain much other than I need this for my own solace" answered Anvay
"Our sons?.... wait in that case let me call them up" Shipra told him as she picked up her smartphone and dialed Lakshya's number which was ringing, however the call remained unanswered following which she tried Abhay's number which kept getting directed to the voicemail box. She tried Lakshya's number several times again but to no avail, which made her own anxiety shoot up.
"Lakshya isn't answering while Abhay's phone seems to be switched off" Shipra muttered
On learning that Anvay hurried while changing and told Shipra to wait at home till he was able to get any news regarding them.
He then took his keys, rushed down the stairs and out of the house towards his car which he then drove away in a hurry. While on the way to the inner part of the city he tried to contain the panic that was building up within him every moment as he drove. Since he was still on the main road and it was pretty late there weren't many cars on the path to obstruct him, however for some reason the car stopped mid way all of a sudden. Anvay took that as an opportunity to ring up Lakshya, but failed to receive an answer.
"Why isn't he answering? I hope he's fine.... right Abhay had mentioned Srishti joining them, guess I could try calling her up, hopefully she could give me an idea of the situation there" Anvay told himself and dialed up Srishti's number from the contact list, and thankfully the call connected
"Hello" answered Srishti from the other end of the call
"Hello Srishti Beta, it's me Lakshya and Abhay's father, are they with you at the moment?" Anvay asked hoping for a affirmative response
"Hello Uncle, at the moment Abhay is at the dance floor enjoying himself, while Lakshya is supposedly in the restroom..." answered Srishti
"Oh is it so-" Anvay was interrupted before he could finish speaking
"However it's been quite a while since Lakshya hasn't returned from the restroom" Srishti informed him which then took his anxiety another level up
"Can you check on him, I'm actually on the—" before Anvay could complete the call got disconnected due to poor call reception. To fix that and contact Srishti once again he got out of his car to get better reception. As he wandered around near the car to get a signal bar a voice called out to him.
"Anvay.......what are you looking for?" asked the whisper like feminine voice startling him momentarily as he looked around to find the source of the voice although it seemed like no one was around. Believing it to be his imagination he then headed towards the front of his car and lifted the bonnet to inspect the engine. As he did so he couldn't find anything wrong as per his knowledge, however he then felt the presence of another person right behind him followed by which the voice called out to him once again, "You do remember me, don't you Anvay?"whispered the voice causing him to jerk away from the car and turn around, to his surprise there was no one there, he then began to look around once again and scanned his surroundings.
Troubled by the mysterious voice, he moved back into his car attempting to start the engine and drive away to the inner city.
"What happened?? Did your car stop working?" asked the voice driving Anvay towards the peak of his anxiety "Who is it? What do you want?" asked Anvay in a distressed tone
"Your destruction!" answered the voice from behind his seat. As he looked up the driver's mirror, it was Neelima's reflection with her glowing eyes staring at him with a cold expression on her face.
Anvay turns his head towards the passenger seat only to find no one there, he once again looks up back into the driver's mirror which seemingly had no one's reflection in it anymore making him wonder if his mind was playing tricks on him. In a bid to get away he quickly turns the ignition key hoping the engine would start which to his relief it did and then quickly shifts to first gear before pushing down the accelerator to drive away.
As his car drove away from the scene a woman who apparently seemed to be Neelima appeared to be standing in the middle of the road where the car had stopped earlier, watching as the vehicle receded from her line of sight with a nefarious smirk on her face.
.............................................................................
Srishti who was waiting for Lakshya began to wonder what took him so long to get back. She then approached the dancing crowd to look for Abhay, when she spotted him she tried calling out to him but the noise made it impossible for him to listen to her hence she just walks towards Abhay who was enjoying himself and drags him out by his elbow, "What do you think you're doing?.....HELLO?!" Abhay asked as he got annoyed while being dragged out by Srishti who then pulled away from her as they made it outside the hall.
"What's your problem? weren't you supposed to be with your fiancé, so why are you bothering me?" asked Abhay
"He hasn't come back yet, he said he was going to use the restroom, it's been more than 30 minutes now" answered a worried Srishti, to which Abhay scoffed, "Well, I'm not surprised, he must have gotten tired of your incessant pestering and left"
"Excuse me?! Are you going to check on him or not?.......you know what forget it, I'll do it myself" she sneered at him as she walked past brushing him aside and headed to the gents restroom followed by Abhay heading in the same direction. As she reached the entrance of the restroom, she paused for a while wondering if anyone else was inside giving Abhay time to catch up to her.
"You really are a piece of work" remarked Abhay which was returned with a glare from Srishti who then turns the knob and opens the door to enter the restroom to find an unconscious Lakshya lying on the floor before them. They both rush towards him to examine his condition, his hands and forehead seemed to be ice cold for some reason accompanied by shallow faint breathing. "What's wrong with him? He was fine just a while ago" asked Abhay who got worried
"Wait here, while I go and get help" Srishti instructed Abhay as she got up and left to inform the staff who then called for an ambulance. Abhay tried to warm up Lakshya's hands by rubbing his own against them. The ambulance then arrived shortly and Lakshya was taken away on a stretcher with the help of the workers manning the ambulance. Srishti and Abhay join Lakshya in the ambulance and while on the way Srishti call up Anvay to inform him about the situation at hand.
..............................................................................................................................
Anvay parked his car and headed straight towards the hospital, upon entering he immediately rushed to the reception to ask about the ward his son was admitted in following which he headed straight to the same where he found Abhay and Srishti waiting outside anxiously and approached them right away, "What happened?" Anvay asked
"We're not sure dad, we just found him lying unconscious and rushed him here immediately, the doctors are examining his condition at the moment" answered Abhay with a consoling tone
Anvay then peeked inside the ward from where he could see the doctor attending to Lakshya as informed earlier look pretty baffled for some reason after which he steps out, Anvay approaches the doctor, " What's wrong doctor, why do you look very tensed?"
The doctor unsure of what to say tried to explain "it's actually very strange, we had conducted some tests however the reports seem to be normal"
"Then why is he unconscious like this?" asked Anvay
"It seems he had consumed a lot of alcohol before passing out shortly, perhaps that explains his sudden drop in temperature and passing out, we've already administered the antidote to help wear off his intoxication, he should wake up by tomorrow, till then I'd advise you let him rest" the doctor explained before leaving to attend to his other patients.
Anvay was relieved after learning that, he then entered the ward to check on Lakshya. Anvay moved close to the bed Lakshya was laid on and held on to his hand, praying internally for his wellbeing, he then took a moment to observe Lakshya's forehead expecting to find a snakebite puncture which to his relief wasn't there making him dismiss his nightmare as a mere dream arising from his guilty conscience.
Abhay and Srishti entered the ward a moment later, "I'm sorry dad, had I known this were to happen then I would have stopped Lakshya from over drinking" Abhay told his father apologetically standing beside him, Srishti joined in "please don't worry uncle, Lakshya will be fine" she consoled him. They stayed there for a while before Anvay asked them both to leave, "Abhay drop Srishti home while you're on your way back"
"No uncle, it's fine, I'll take a cab—" Srishti was cut off by Anvay, "It's very late, in fact it's 2 am in the morning, I doubt you'll get a cab at this hour here, moreover it isn't safe to let you go alone, hence let Abhay drop you" Anvay insisted
"Dad's right, I'll drop you home instead" Abhay agreed
"Alright then since you'll insist" Srishti conceded followed by them leaving the ward and heading out of the hospital.
Anvay then called his wife to notify her about their son's condition while assuring her that it wasn't anything serious as expected earlier.
Two hours later....
Anvay was asleep right next to Lakshya's bed who appeared to be in a state of tranquility although unconscious. All seemed well until a puncture mark mysteriously appeared on his forehead following which Lakshya began to squirm in pain waking Anvay up. Shocked at the sight before him immediately called for the doctor.
As the doctor arrived, he tried to stabilize Lakshya's condition however it seemed to go in vain as moments later Lakshya seemingly let out his final breath, after checking his pulse the doctor stepped away and turned to Anvay.
"What's wrong Doctor?" Anvay asked overcome by dread
"I'm sorry Mr. Singh, your Son just passed away" answered the doctor
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