After meticulously setting up the ritual ground, the hooded man proceeded to the cellar. He descended the steps, the only sound his soft footfalls on the stone. One by one, he emerged, each of the six girls now preceding him, their eyes glazed over and their movements unnaturally synchronized. They were led to the prepared circle and positioned with precise care. Only after all six entranced girls were in place did the hooded man turn his attention back towards the cellar, expecting to retrieve Gauri.
The hooded man made his way to the cold, stone room where he had tied Gauri. But when he reached it, she was gone. A wave of surprise, quickly turning to anger, washed over his face. He knew she couldn't have gotten far. With a renewed sense of urgency, he began to search the godown, his heavy footsteps echoing through the dimly lit space.
Meanwhile, Gauri, who had managed to free herself, moved silently within the dusty confines of the godown. Every shadow seemed to hold a potential hiding place, and she clung to each one, her heart pounding in her ears. The sound of the hooded man's increasingly frantic search sent shivers of terror down her spine. She had to remain unseen, a ghost in the labyrinthine aisles of forgotten objects; fear was her constant companion.
Realizing the heavy footsteps were drawing closer, a surge of adrenaline coursed through Gauri. Her fingers instinctively found the penknife Vihaan had entrusted to her. Gripping it tightly in one hand, she readied herself, her other hand brushing against a rusty iron rod she had spotted nearby.
But instead of remaining hidden, a spark of defiance ignited within her. As the hooded man rounded the corner, expecting to find her cowering, the space was empty. Before he could fully register her absence, Gauri swung the rod with all her might, aiming for his back.
To her shock, the hooded man reacted with impossible speed. His hand shot out and clamped around the rod, stopping it mid-swing. Gauri stared at him, her breath catching in her throat. His eyes, black and void of warmth, burned into hers, and a sinister smile stretched across his lips.
The hooded man chuckled, a low, guttural sound that sent a fresh wave of fear through Gauri. With a dismissive flick of his wrist, he wrenched the rod from her grasp and hurled her across the godown.
Gauri crashed against a stack of overturned crates, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Pain shot through her body as she landed hard on the dusty floor. Dazed and bruised, she looked up and her blood ran cold.
She had landed near the ritual circle. The six entranced girls were now seated cross-legged, each directly facing a human skull placed on the ground before them. An eerie stillness permeated the air, broken only by the faint crackling of the candles. And then she saw it—a seventh skull resting on the ground, directly in front of an empty space in the circle. A horrifying realization built a silent scream in her chest.
The hooded man stalked toward Gauri, his black eyes burning with fury. He stopped directly in front of her, his shadow engulfing her trembling form. For the first time, his voice, a low, gravelly rasp, cut through the silence. "I hate stubborn girls."
With a flick of his hand, Gauri felt an invisible force lift her into the air. She gasped, her hands clawing at her throat as his grip tightened around her neck. His gaze locked onto hers, his eyes swirling with an unnatural darkness as he tried to force his will into her mind.
But something was different. A fierce resistance bloomed within Gauri, fueled by terror and a desperate will to survive. His hypnotic gaze had no effect. Instead, with a surge of adrenaline, she brought her knee up sharply, connecting squarely with his groin.
The hooded man roared in pain and surprise, his grip on her neck loosening. Gauri plummeted to the ground, landing in a heap, gasping for breath. He doubled over, clutching himself, his face contorted in agony. This unexpected resistance had clearly thrown him off balance.
Despite the pain searing through her body, Gauri scrambled to her feet, her eyes fixed on the writhing figure of the hooded man. His head snapped up, his black eyes blazing with unadulterated rage. "It seems I have to find your replacement," he snarled, his voice laced with venom. "You are far too stubborn for my liking."
Gauri recoiled, the implication of his words sending a fresh wave of horror crashing over her. Her eyes widened in disbelief and dawning terror. As if conjured from thin air, a heavy, double-bladed axe materialized in the hooded man's hand. The cold steel glinted menacingly in the candlelight.
Gauri stumbled backward, her breath catching in her throat, her mind screaming in panic. He raised the axe high above his head, the sharp edges reflecting the flickering flames, poised to strike. A raw, primal scream tore from her lungs.