The mist, a permanent resident of the Lachhmipur woods, coiled thick and cold around the deodar trees. The night, usually silent save for the chirping of crickets, was now fractured by the static crackle of police radios and the frantic barking of dogs. A dozen officers from the Lachhmipur Police Station, their flashlight beams struggling against the oppressive gloom, moved in a slow, grim procession. The K-9 unit's German Shepherds strained at their leashes, their whimpers speaking of a fear they couldn't articulate. Death had come to their quiet hill station.
---
In a modest, two-story house on the outskirts of the main market, Arjun Mehta sat on his bed, wearing only a pair of track pants. He was meticulously running grip tape along the handle of his field hockey stick, his focus absolute.
Satisfied, he gave it a practice swing, the whoosh cutting cleanly through the air. He tossed the stick onto his sports bag and moved to the bathroom doorway, where a pull-up bar was fixed. He executed a set of chin-ups, the muscles in his back and arms burning. Afterward, he brushed his teeth, the familiar routine a comfort before bed.
A sudden scrape from the veranda made him freeze. He crept out of his room, pulling on a red hoodie and grabbing the taped hockey stick. On the porch, he peered into the damp night, his grip tightening on the handle.
A figure dropped from the low-hanging roof with a soft thud, and Arjun yelped, swinging the stick on pure instinct.
"Arre, yaar! Mat maro!" (Hey, man! Don't hit me!) the figure shrieked, stumbling back.
Arjun lowered the stick, his breath escaping in a frustrated huff. It was Siddharth "Sid" Joshi, his best friend, who looked just as startled.
ARJUN & SID: [simultaneously] AHH! AHHH! AHHHH!
"Sid, pagal hai kya? (Are you crazy?) What the hell are you doing?" Arjun demanded.
Sid brushed leaves off his jacket, eyeing the hockey stick with offence. "You weren't answering your phone! Why do you have a stick?"
"I thought you were a burglar!" Arjun shot back.
"A burglar… Seriously?" Sid scoffed, moving on instantly. "Listen, just now I saw my dad's jeep leave. There was a call—they're bringing in everyone from Lachhmipur station, even guys from the Nainital outpost."
Arjun frowned. "For what?"
Sid could barely contain a macabre excitement. "Two morning walkers found a body. In the woods near the old British bungalow."
Arjun's confusion deepened. "What, a dead body?"
Sid leaned on the veranda railing, his expression dripping with sarcasm. "No, a body of water. Haan, bewakoof, a dead body!"
A chill, unrelated to the Himalayan night, settled in Arjun's bones. "You mean… murdered?"
"Nobody knows yet. Just that it was a girl. A tourist, probably."
"Hold on," Arjun said, logic piercing through his unease. "If they found the body, what are they still looking for?"
Sid's eyes gleamed with dramatic flair. "That's the best part—they only found half." His tone shifted, leaving no room for argument. "We're going."
---
Sid's dented, olive-green Mahindra Bolero rumbled to a halt, its headlights illuminating the faded sign at the edge of the woods:
'Lachhmipur Reserve Forest - Entry Restricted.'
Sid hopped out, a powerful torch in his hand. Arjun followed reluctantly, the scent of pine and damp earth filling his nostrils.
"Are we seriously doing this?" Arjun whispered, the forest suddenly feeling vast and ancient.
"You're the one always complaining that nothing ever happens in this town," Sid retorted, not breaking his stride.
"I was trying to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow," Arjun grumbled. The first match of the season was coming up.
Sid snorted. "Right, because sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort."
"No, because I'm playing this year. In fact, I'm making first line."
Sid looked back at him, a mix of pity and admiration on his face. "Hey, that's the spirit! Everyone should have a dream, even a pathetically unrealistic one."
They walked in silence for a moment, the crunch of their shoes on the pine needles the only sound. Arjun decided to match Sid's sarcasm. "Just out of curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?"
Sid's confident stride faltered. "Huh. I didn't even think about that."
"And, uh… what if whoever… you know… did it… is still out here?"
Sid scratched his head, embarrassed. "Also something I didn't think about."
Arjun shook his head in wry amusement. "It's comforting to know you've planned this out with your usual attention to detail."
"I know," Sid admitted, completely missing the irony.
As they started up a steep, rocky path, Arjun's breathing began to betray him. It became rapid, shallow, and a familiar, dreaded wheeze started deep in his chest. He leaned against the rough bark of a deodar tree, fumbling in his hoodie pocket.
"Maybe the guy with severe asthma," he gasped, "should be the one holding the torch, huh?"
But Sid, driven by a relentless curiosity, pushed on. Arjun took a hurried puff from his inhaler and scrambled after him. Soon, they saw the dancing lights of the search party ahead.
They dove behind the massive, moss-covered root of a fallen chinar tree, clicking off their torch.
"Wait!" Arjun hissed.
"Come on!" Sid whispered back, and before Arjun could stop him, he was up and running toward the commotion.
"Sid! Wait up!" Arjun wheezed, taking another quick hit from his inhaler before stumbling after his friend. "Sid! Sid!"
Sid finally heard him, but the momentary distraction was all it took.
A police dog began barking ferociously, lunging in his direction. Sid yelped and fell backward onto the damp ground. A constable shone his light directly into Sid's face.
"Ruk ja! (Stop right there!)" the constable commanded.
Sid threw his hands up in surrender. Arjun, a dozen meters behind, pressed himself flat against a tree, squeezing his eyes shut as if he could simply vanish.
Just then, a new, weary voice cut through the tension. "Ruko, ruko… (Wait, wait…)" It was Inspector Vikram Joshi, Sid's father, his uniform jacket buttoned tight against the cold.
Sid scrambled to his feet, shielding his eyes from the light. The Inspector sighed, the lines on his face deepened by a long career in this small town. "You can stand down. This one is mine."
"Papa! Everything okay?" Sid said, trying for a charming smile.
Inspector Joshi fixed his son with a look of profound exhaustion. "So, do you listen to all my phone calls?"
Sid gave a sheepish laugh. "No…" He trailed off under his father's unwavering gaze. "Not the boring ones."
The Inspector sighed, a sound of resigned acceptance. He shone his light around the surrounding trees. "Now, where's your usual partner in crime?"
Sid immediately played dumb as a light drizzle began to fall. "Who, Arjun? Arjun's home. He said he wanted to get a good night's sleep for practice tomorrow."
"It's just me… In the woods… Alone…"
It was obvious the Inspector didn't believe a word. He lifted his flashlight, trying to pierce the darkness. "Arjun, you out there? Beta? (Son?)"
Arjun held his breath, his heart pounding against his ribs. After a moment, the Inspector reluctantly gave up. He sighed and grabbed Sid firmly by the collar of his jacket, steering him back toward the road.
"Well, beta, I'm going to walk you back to your jeep… And then you and I are going to have a conversation about something called 'invasion of privacy.'"
As they left, Arjun leaned his head back against the tree, mouthing "Bas kar" (That's enough) under his breath.
He had saved himself, but now he was alone, lost in the dark, rain-soaked woods. He waited until the voices faded before heading in the opposite direction, trying to retrace their path.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and lightning flickered, briefly illuminating the jagged silhouettes of the mountains. Arjun pulled his hood up, the steady drizzle quickly soaking through the fabric.
Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig, made him jump. He pulled out his inhaler and shook it, his hands trembling.
Suddenly, the forest fell deathly silent. The crickets stopped.
The wind stilled. Before he could process this, a herd of barking deer burst from the undergrowth, stampeding directly toward him. They knocked him off his feet, and his inhaler flew from his grasp, disappearing into the darkness.
Sprawled on the wet ground, heart hammering, he got to his feet and used his phone as a light, desperately searching for his lifeline.
His fingers brushed against something cold and waxy amidst a pile of rotting leaves. He pushed the leaves aside and found himself staring into the vacant eyes of a young woman, her face pale, her dark hair matted with mud. The body ended gruesomely at the waist.
A strangled gasp caught in his throat. He stumbled backward, lost his footing on the slippery slope, and tumbled down a steep, rocky ravine, landing with a painful thud at the bottom.
Groaning, Arjun pushed himself up, his body aching. All he wanted was to be home. He limped through the trees, the panic a live wire in his chest. Then he froze. A low, guttural growl echoed behind him, a sound that seemed to vibrate through the very earth.
He turned slowly.
Standing not twenty feet away was a creature of nightmare. It was wolf-like, but massive, its fur a patchwork of shadows, its eyes burning with a feral, red light.
Arjun had no time to scream before it lunged. It was on him in an instant, its weight crushing him to the forest floor.
He scrambled, clawing at the mud, but it seized his ankle in a vice-like grip and dragged him back. Then, searing, white-hot pain exploded in his side as the beast's jaws clamped down on his right hip.
He roared in agony, the sound tearing through the silent woods.
Somehow, fueled by pure terror, he scrambled free and ran. He ran blindly, tripping over roots, slipping on wet rocks, not daring to look back. He burst out of the tree line and onto the winding Lachhmipur-Mussoorie road, stumbling directly into the path of an oncoming Tata Safari.
The driver swerved violently, horn blaring, missing him by inches. Gasping for air, Arjun collapsed against the wet tarmac. The pain in his side was excruciating. With a trembling hand, he lifted his hoodie and looked down.
Through the torn fabric of his track pants, a vicious, bloody bite mark was already purpling into a brutal bruise.
From the deep, impenetrable darkness of the woods behind him, a long, triumphant howl rose, piercing the night. It was a sound that promised this was only the beginning.