ArHi SS! Escape Velocity [Completed] - Page 93

awesome update as usual:) totally in love with ur writting style! everything u write is done with dedication and passion! thank u for this fabulous update:)

both are shocked like me

Brilliant and superb update, so khushi was telling Arnav ideas on how to escape the program, but Arnav goes they can't hide. However I did like khushi's idea about them both running away, that would be fantastic. Can I make a suggestion, i think the doctor could be the killer! Please continue soon and thanks for the PM xx

amazing update...wow ...some very valid points ...it could be made possible...like inception...loved it...continue soon...

If I put myself in Arnav and Khushi's shoes, it's like living in void – You can't go home, you can't go to people whom you believed and you can't hide.

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"On one had we have technology and on the other hand the underdeveloped science."

Aren't science and technology supposed to work hand in hand? I guess the imbalance between science and technology is what taking out the whole humane factor from usage of technology.

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"We need to plan for our survival."

And survive these two will.

Survival. For some reason the last part reminds me of Lord of the Flies.

Now, I want to see if Arnav sticks with Khushi. With this connected-consciousness thing, her location is compromised, and she has no control over it. If Arnav continues to stay with her, so is his. So his life is in jeopardy if he chooses to be with Khushi. What will he do?

Chapter 15: Red Handed

"How did it go?" Payal asked tiredly. Khushi looked at her friend closely and wondered if she was really sick. Right afterward she felt disgusted with the thought of doubting her friend so blatantly. Payal may have been instructed to keep an eye on her but she sometimes went out of her way to take care of Khushi.

Khushi placed her palm on Payal's forehead and sighed. Payal was burning up.

"It didn't work as we expected. Let's get you inside," she ushered Khushi in. She turned around and saw Arnav standing several feet away mingled in shadows. She waved in his direction and went inside closing the door behind her.

"I thought Dr Sharma was really good in what he does," Payal said revolting softly as Khushi fussed around her.

"Even good doctors can have bad days Payal. I remembered a bit about my childhood with my parents at the army base and how I was hospitalized. The memories which were hazy are now vivid, that's all. Apart from that there wasn't anything else." Khushi explained more than necessary.

"Did he tell you what why you were having visions?" Payal asked seriously.

Khushi swallowed. She bit her lip and shook her head. "That was the main reason why I wanted this hypnotherapy to work. But I don't think we got that far. I think we may have to visit him several times before there is a break through." Khushi said tucking Payal in. "Did you eat anything?" She asked looking at her tired face.

"I had some fruits in afternoon." She said snuggling into blanket.

"I'll make you some porridge," Khushi patted her hand and stood up.

"Did Dr Sharma tell you the reasons for your seizures?" Khushi trained her face to remain neutral.

"He said it could be genetics. And I might have to live with it for the rest of my life," Khushi gave her a small smile and walked out of the room.

When Khushi came inside the room fifteen minutes later to give Payal porridge, she stopped. Payal's eyes were wide open and looking at the ceiling and thinking something serious.

"May I ask you something?" Khushi asked coming inside the room. Payal nodded and sat up in her bed. "Why didn't you ever get married?" Khushi asked.

It was probably the first time Khushi asked something personal to Payal. It had always been the other way around and there were times when Payal commented on how Khushi always maintained a certain amount of distance from her even when they knew each other for close to two decades.

"I never fancied the idea of marrying and raising a family. My own family made me abhor the concept," Payal squeezed her eyes shut as if the thought itself was unpleasant. Khushi handed Payal the bowl of warm porridge and a spoon along with it.

"I am thinking of marrying Arnav." Khushi said observing Payal's face. Payal's face darkened.

"Are you joking?" Payal asked her voice shrill.

Khushi shook her head. "I believe I have met my match Payal. He is a good guy, good career and is very easy on the eyes," she grinned at the last part.

"But you just met him!" Payal plunked the bowl on night stand making a bit of porridge spill on table.

"I met him recently but I feel an amazing connection with him. I don't see why I should wait to get married to the guy I have fallen in love with," Khushi said nonchalantly.

"You met him only two weeks ago Khushi. Don't you think you are rushing things a bit?" Payal rasped.

"I don't actually. I have never felt this way before Payal and I don't want this feeling to go away. I had a long chat with him today when we went to doctor and back…it was dreamy." Khushi said her eyes sharp and ever observant. She turned to look at Payal and smiled secretively. "I feel as if he and I have made history and belong together forever." She gushed.

For any observer it seemed like Khushi was glazed over her infatuation with Arnav and the pretty words came out naturally as a by-product. But the subtle implications weren't lost on Payal as her pupils dilated.

'Bingo!' Khushi thought inwardly when recognition of the facts became obvious on her friend's face.

"If you ask my advice-"

"I am not asking you Payal. I want to do this. If I am wrong, then I am wrong and I will live it up. But I want to do this." Khushi's voice was hard. Her heart however cried.

"We will talk about this tomorrow. For now, I want to sleep." Payal said and slid down the headboard and turned away from her.

Khushi felt she was betraying Payal with her knowledge and wound a story just to see the extent of Payal's involvement in this mess. It was disheartening to find out that Payal probably always knew what she was and what she was capable of.

Maybe that was also the reason why Payal wanted her to come to Mysore and write her novel. Suddenly her entire writing career seemed farce and the identity she believed to have built for herself was a carefully structured persona to keep her in check and reveal the post-program effects on her.

Khushi sat flummoxed on her bed and wondered what they should do next. For the entire length of car ride the two of them had withdrawn to their shells and thought about their respective future. At one point Khushi wondered if they should simply walk into the facility and see how everything would go. She always had a strange fascination with death as she saw it as just another phase of life rather than something…altering. She welcomed death as easily as she welcomed morning sunrise.

That made her both spiritual and dangerous at the same time.

However for now, she wanted to take care of herself and didn't care much about others.

*****

One thing was certain. It was imperative for them to catch the killer killing young women as it would compromise Khushi and him in the process. Arnav decided to go back to the capital as soon as possible and work around his suspension. If what Dr Sharma had said was indeed true, then the killer would definitely be out of streets and back in the facility. But that would cause more harm to him and Khushi.

"I am flying tomorrow morning back Shukla and I want in." Arnav said packing his bag.

"Arnav…" Shukla groaned from the other end of the phone. "Fine, but if commissioner asks, you are on your own alright?" He asked.

"Don't worry about that Shukla. Did you check the geographical location I mailed you last night?" Arnav asked. He had a feeling that the killer was living somewhere close to Khushi; not by choice but by design as he must have felt that she was the calming force in his life.

"Yeah, thank you for that. It will be hard to find search a man without any parameters Arnav but we are trying," Shukla said tiredly.

"Shukla, I can give you a rudimentary profile I worked on in past few days. I know how a half-baked profile would derail an entire investigation so-"

"Arnav, it's alright. I will get only couple of men to work in that direction and the rest will do whatever they are doing now. In that way we won't compromise on-going investigation and can also work on alternate theory in parallel." Shukla said thankfully.

"You are looking for a male – mid to late thirties, probably living alone. Two years ago there was a tragedy in his life probably a violence involving a woman that acted as a trigger. He has tremendous issue with anger management. His parents were probably in the army and will not be living with him anymore. They are either dead or have left him alone a long time ago. He is living in that house for at least a decade now." Arnav said.

"How could you possibly know that his parents were in army?" Shukla asked.

"When all this is over, we will talk, okay?" Arnav said knowing that it would never happen. "And Shukla?" Arnav called.

"I am here," Shukla said.

"The man will be extremely dangerous and might have a weapon on him. Be careful, okay?" Arnav said softly.

"I will be. I'll pick you up from airport tomorrow. Send me your flight details." Shukla said and hung up the phone.

Arnav collapsed on his bed and opened the book Khushi gave him. She had written every tiny detail about what he had seen from the killer's eyes when he wasn't murdering women. She confessed she didn't know if Payal had read any of it but she had encased it as notes for her novel and few paragraphs had even made it to the final print. As Payal was also unaware till now that the killer and Khushi were actually connected, she couldn't have connected the dots.

Arnav knew that he could find the killer sooner than the police would. But he had to plan in such a way that the killer would die in confrontation.

There was no way he could let the man go alive given how dangerous it would be for both him and Khushi.

In that moment he wondered if the ease of thought of killing a man came from the fact that he was capable of it or was it because his survival instinct was roaring much louder.

ME !

The hunt is back on ! Kill or be killed! He knows it, Kushi knows it! But can the killer sense it too? I am at the edge of seat, waiting with bated breath for the next update. Interesting to see Kushi trying to find which side Payal is on. I hope Payal does not betray her. Hope leaving Kushi unprotected will not make it easy for the killer to get to her.