ArHi SS! Escape Velocity [Completed] - Page 53

Oh my God! This is sooo gruesome!!! But how does Khushi know all of this???? Is there a leak in the police department??? Does she actually know the killer??? Or is she...

wow...just read four updates back to back and it was really just great...now im totally hooked and got to see khushis involvement in the case...hope arnav cools her down soon...

I was never into crime, suspense thrillers ...be it movies or stories...need to admit ...your story telling is interesting and I am here waiting eagerly for next pm.

Chapter 09: Sindoor and masala dosa

He woke up from bad dream and gasped for air. His eyes burned for unknown reasons and he rested his upper body on elbows and panted. The other kid in the room had also woken up at the same time. He was told three weeks that she was his new friend and from now on, they would get treatment together. He was very happy to hear that and the girl had offered him a little smile. The two were hooked to several wires and chemicals slowly entered the two children under constant monitoring of nurses and doctors amidst which they talked and giggled, shared old jokes and solved puzzles. She told him about her old friend, the boy who became too sick one day and had to be treated separately. She told him that she missed the boy a lot and he was constantly on her mind.

The girl smiled at him and asked him to close his eyes and get some sleep. He hesitated but seeing her droopy eyes and soft yawn, he felt his eyes closing on its own accord. Not fighting sleepiness, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

He woke up to the noise of hasty steps, beeping machines and hushed voices. There were nurses and doctors rushing in and out of the room as his best friend kept her eyes closed and failed to respond. He was scared and worried about the girl but his mind had resigned to panic mode and feared that something had gone wrong. It was as if the girl herself was telling him to come save her from the danger she was in but he didn't know what. All of eight years, he didn't know what he was supposed to do to help her. The monitor next to her started beeping flatly which hurried everyone's feet around him. He jumped down from his bed and stood next to her bed. He ignored the nurse who asked him to go back to his own bed and took her hand in his and kissed it softly. The doctor looked at him kindly and did his work while he did his. Ten minutes later the girl opened her eyes and turned to look at the boy next to her. Thank you for saving me from the monsters, she said. The boy gave her a toothy grin with missing two front teeth.

The doctor looked on.

He suddenly woke up when the last visages of the dream dissolved into darkness. He threw back covers and walked towards balcony where unfurling of dawn was gloriously presented. He took a deep breath replenishing his lungs with fresh air touched by morning dew and smiled as he exhaled. After enjoying solitude with nature for several moments, he returned to the part of room where he had dumped the case files, notes and plethora of papers and picked up his blackberry under the mess. The tech had left him texts providing him the addresses of the phone numbers. He sighed remembering what succeeded after their initial discovery.

He refused to believe that Khushi knew about the victims on her own without any help from outside. The idea was implausible and defeated rationality.

But…it didn't make any sense.

He decided he owed an apology and an explanation to Khushi so he sent a text to her hoping that she wouldn't blow him off and give him a chance to explore the possibility. It was only six in the morning but he didn't care. He was well within logical realm to offer and believe a rational explanation while she easily refuted it.

He stood in the middle of the room contemplating while the Blackberry in his hand buzzed indicating him of an incoming message. It was Khushi.

One hour and twenty minutes later, he was hurrying towards dining area where breakfast was served. Khushi was sitting next to a large window and reading a book. He stood in front of her and cleared his throat making her look up. Seeing him she pointed to a small paper packet of kumkum. He looked at the packet and looked back at her blankly. Sighing, she took a pinch of it between her right ring finger and thumb and motioned him to bend to her level. Amused, he complied with the request and felt her cool fingers press the vermilion powder between his brows.

"I went to temple early in the morning and the priest gave it to me," she said. "I ordered Mysore Masala Dosa for you. Is that okay?" She asked pushing her book aside. He nodded.

"I am sorry Khushi, for pulling that stunt. I really am." He said diving straight to apology before anything else.

"Was I right?" She asked peering at him. He knew she was asking about the color of lipstick then.

"You were. I don't know how you know but you were." He replied.

"You must have thought relentlessly about how I could have accurately arrived at that, haven't you?" She asked smirking a little. He nodded sheepishly. "Let's hear some theories then." She said blandly and rested her chin on her palms, elbows holding up steadily.

He chuckled quietly. "Let's assume you have seen all the crime scene photos. You would have seen that Selena kept a neat house and co-ordinated furniture, upholstery and other stuff in the house very well. The killer stripped her naked and threw the clothes away from the dining area. They were found scattered in and around living area and there was a lavender skirt amongst her discarded clothes. As crime scene photos covered living area too, you must have noticed the skirt. If Selena co-ordinate her dresses the way she kept her house, she would probably wear that particular shade of lipstick. Amidst the blood, you can see some shades of lavender on her eyelids."

"That's pretty fascinating officer. But there is one major flaw in this." Khushi said mildly impressed with Arnav's analogy.

"This doesn't explain the smell of the lipstick," Arnav sighed. Khushi grinned. "If one were to guess then they would say that the smell probably would be that of blueberry because it would make sense with respect to color. But…raspberry it was and there is no way anyone could have told you about it." Arnav confessed.

"Then how do you think I know all this stuff?" Khushi asked. Arnav fell silent as their breakfast arrived. He picked up the cup of hot filter coffee and took a long sip.

"Honestly, I have step over the line which we don't cross. Maybe then I can satiate myself with an answer," Arnav said slowly. "So here goes." Arnav said pulling the breakfast plate towards him. "Are you psychic?" He asked contorting his face as if he had a mouthful of lemons.

When Khushi didn't reply, he looked up from plate and stared at her. "Are you?" He asked, his heart beating erratically.

"I don't know…I am not sure." Khushi replied chewing slowly. "That evening when I was having seizure, I could see the crime happening in that state. It is a…inexplicable feeling." Khushi said.

"I was surprised that you could easily get up without any tiredness or exhaustion associated with seizures." Arnav noted. Khushi nodded.

"My blood pressure would be normal and it will be as if I woke up from a mini-blackout. I always thought they were hallucinations or probably nightmares but knowing that they were real events has successfully managed to freak me out." Khushi said softly.

Arnav looked at Khushi then; really looked at her closely. Her eyes were puffy and there were dark bags under her eyes. She looked exhausted as if trying to figure out when and where her life had turned weird.

"You seem to be handling the realization well," Arnav said instead of commenting on her looks.

"I am actually a huge mess inside and feel like a walking freak show. I don't know why I see what I see…when I told the neurologist that I was hallucinating, he suggested hypnotherapy." Khushi frowned.

"Is he suspecting something?" Arnav asked.

"If he is, he isn't sharing; not with me at least." Khushi fell silent and continued with her breakfast. "Arnav," she said after several minutes of silence. He looked up and smiled involuntarily when he heard her call his name for the first time.

"I want to see other crime scene photos." She said. Arnav was about to refuse her but she stopped him. "I was shocked to see the woman in my hallucination materialize in a photo so I lost control. I promise you that I will…keep it together." She said with a broken smile. Arnav squeezed her hand and smiled at her.

"Are you sure?" He asked. He wasn't so sure that it was a good idea but there might me something in Khushi's hallucinations or visions or whatever they were, which could help him solving the case.

"I have written down everything I have seen till date in my diary with date and time logged in. I don't know what made me do it but…anyway. I have a feeling that everything I saw was probably a live telecast," Khushi said, her voice hollow.

He could see the exhaustion in her eyes and the abundant confusion due to her state. It was commendable that she was trying to holding it together and getting a hang of what the hell was going on. She squeezed his hand and retracted them.

"When did it start?" Arnav asked ushering her outside the dining area towards the backside of the resort.

"I have seizures since childhood though I have no memory of it. The hallucinations started three years ago."

"Was it the first murder?" Arnav asked holding the door open.

She shook her head and uttered a soft 'Thanks'. "It wasn't. I could feel incredible amount of hurt, anger and rage altogether. My hands were throwing things around the house-"

"Wait, your hands?" Arnav stopped her.

"Yeah, mine. I don't know if I was looking through the eyes of the killer or I was the killer." She said defeated. There was unknown pain in her eyes and Arnav wished with all his heart to take away that pain. He gulped down that feeling hurriedly.

"Sounds Harry Potter-ish, is it not?" She asked joking feebly. Arnav looked at her blankly not understanding what she meant. Looking at his expression, she sighed. "Never read Harry Potter I suppose," she asked already guessing his response.

"Does watching first three movies count?" He asked lightly. She laughed easing the tension between her brows and she shook her head. She giggled when she heard him mutter 'Dang!'

They walked for several moments in comfortable silence and Khushi knew that Arnav was waiting for her to continue. But he was too much a gentleman to probe her for more information. "In the beginning there were just incidents of rage and anger and sometimes there was incredible amount of depression. It was almost like I had turned suicidal but after a few days, anger would be back. This pattern continued till the first murder. After that…it was ad-hoc. I could feel anger, sorrow, rage and…exhaustion – as if I had been for a very long walk."

"You said you were in a house. Can you recognize that house?" Arnav asked.

Khushi shrugged. "I am not sure. It could help you narrow the suspect, wouldn't it?" She asked. Arnav nodded.

"For some strange reason, you seem to be connected to the killer." Arnav said.

Khushi slipped not seeing where she was going and Arnav caught her hand. She held on to it tightly and Arnav could feel the shiver run across her arm. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth and fear reflected in her eyes.

"Don't worry Khushi. I'll promise no harm will come to you." He said feeling strangely protective of her. Her eyes cleared and she broke into a small smile nodding her head.

OMG...

I am the first one to comment...

U rock...

Loved ArHi's convo ! Awesome update

Stalking again😉

This story has me in its grip. Just wait for the updates. I read the whole story again to do some detective work and try to find the killer. But no clues. So I'll keep trying. You keep writing and I keep racking my brains. How do you write uch different stories?

I read all d updates now...
The story is really amazing with romance,thriller,suspense and fear..
U r dng a great job yaar...
Continue soon..
Loved it a lot..

only thing i feel right now is i want more!!!!!!!
am glad they shared this convo...and defntly this is going to be a good team...
awesome RB👏