(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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The next day...
Gujarat International Airport...
The morning heat shimmered across the tarmac as the airplane ramp lowered.
Jojo descended first,
Wearing his signature black jacket and mirrored sunglasses,
Followed by Caroline and Inadu.
For once, Freya wasn't by his side—
Jojo had insisted she take a break after the string of supernatural cases that had worn her down.
Caroline adjusted her bag over her shoulder and looked toward the city skyline.
"I actually know someone here,"
She said, glancing at Jojo.
"She might help us figure out what's going on. Since the Malivore issue's on hold, I thought I'd tag along."
Jojo gave a brief nod,
Nod~
Scanning the bustling airport surroundings, his expression unreadable.
"Good. The faster we find what's behind this, the better."
As they walked toward their car,
Jojo's phone buzzed.
Ring~ Ring~
"..."
"..."
It was a live call from Alice and Rosalie.
The two listened in silence as Jojo explained the situation—
Why he had come to India,
What Sara had found about Father Sal Tedeschi's sudden visit to Chennai,
And how the mass suicides and possessions might be connected.
Rosalie frowned.
Frown~
"So you're saying those girls… are being controlled? Like puppets?"
"Exactly,"
Jojo replied.
"And if Sara's readings are right, this isn't random. Someone—is orchestrating it."
Forks...
Meanwhile, back in Forks,
The Cullen family sat gathered in their living room,
The TV casting flickering light across their pale faces.
The news anchor's voice trembled as she read the latest update:
"In Gujarat, India, chaos continues at St. Maria's All-Girls School. Ten students have taken their own lives, while others—believed to be under some kind of influence—are attacking civilians. Authorities warn the public to stay away from anyone seen wearing the school's distinct blue-and-white uniform."
Esme's hand flew to her mouth in shock,
"..."
While Edward's eyes darkened with concern.
"They're not just possessed,"
Edward murmured.
"They're bound to someone's will."
They have known about this case from Jenny who mentioned this to them.
But now hearing the side from Jojo made them think might be the water runs too deep.
Gujarat...
Back at the airport...
Jojo's gaze hardened as he overheard the same broadcast echoing from a nearby café television.
"Let's move,"
He said, his tone cold and certain.
"The one controlling them—has started his move."
The sun blazed low over the dusty horizon as Jojo handed over his passport to the car rental agent.
The man examined it quickly before sliding the Jeep's key across the counter.
"Drive safe, sir. Roads here… unpredictable,"
The agent warned.
Jojo simply nodded,
Nod~
Twirling the key once between his fingers before walking toward the waiting SUV.
Caroline and Inadu were already loading their bags into the backseat.
Vroom... Vroom...
Once they hit the road,
The Jeep's tires crunched against the gravel as they merged into the traffic.
The air was dry and hot, the skyline distant and wavering in the heat.
A small mobile screen mounted on the dashboard was playing a live news broadcast.
Jojo's eyes flicked toward it as the anchor's tense voice filled the car.
"Authorities are now reporting that the mysterious figure controlling the schoolgirls has issued a new message. He demands someone named Pratap to come forward—otherwise, this tragedy is merely the trailer, and the main picture is yet to come."
The words hung heavy in the car.
Caroline's hand froze midair,
And even Inadu leaned forward, her brows knitting.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Jojo remained silent,
His expression darkening as he stared ahead at the road,
The orange sky reflecting off his sunglasses.
"So it's a message now,"
He muttered under his breath.
"He wants someone specific."
Caroline reached for her phone, scrolling through her contacts before dialing a number.
The call rang once.
Ring~ Ring~
Twice.
Then straight to voicemail.
"Damn it,"
She hissed softly.
"She's not picking up."
"That your acquaintance?"
Jojo asked without looking away from the road.
"Yeah,"
Caroline replied, frowning.
"Her number is the only way to contact her."
Jojo's grip tightened on the steering wheel as the Jeep rolled past a checkpoint manned by police and military officers.
Sirens wailed in the distance, echoing through the city streets.
"We'll find out soon,"
He said, his tone low and certain.
"It's better we hurry there."
After checking into the hotel,
Jojo didn't waste a second.
They dropped their bags,
Exchanged quick glances, and were back in the Jeep.
Caroline sat beside him with a map open on her phone,
Inadu watching the road with quiet alertness as they drove toward the isolated school on the outskirts of town.
The hum of the engine blended with the crackle of static from the news playing faintly on the dashboard screen—
Updates on the mysterious man and his terrifying command over the students.
Meanwhile...
Somewhere in a forested region,
Gujarat...
A lonely two-story house sat half-hidden beneath thick neem and banyan trees,
The surrounding air heavy with the chirp of cicadas and the faint hum of an old generator.
Inside, an elderly man sat cross-legged before a flickering television,
"..."
His wrinkled fingers holding a spoonful of porridge.
Across from him sat his daughter—
Around twenty-eight years old,
Motionless in her chair.
"..."
Her body was stiff, her face frozen in an eerie, permanent smile.
The light from the TV danced across her lifeless eyes.
Her once long hair was now patchy, the front of her scalp bald, revealing a her fore head.
The elderly man spoke softly,
His voice trembling as he lifted the spoon toward her lips.
"Here, beta… just one more bite. You need to eat, my girl…"
The woman didn't blink, didn't move.
"..."
The spoonful of porridge dripped back into the bowl.
Then—
The news anchor's voice broke the quiet.
"—and the unknown entity demands a man named Pradap to come forward immediately. Failure to do so will result in further casualties. Authorities remain baffled—"
The bowl slipped from the old man's hand and shattered on the floor.
Shatter~
His breath quickened.
"Pradap…?"
He whispered, eyes wide.
He stumbled to his feet,
Nearly tripping over the broken bowl,
And rushed across the creaky wooden floor to a door at the far end of the house.
He hesitated for a second, glancing back at his daughter—
"..."
Her smile unwavering.
Click~
Then he opened the padlocked door and descended a narrow flight of steps leading to the basement.
His name was Atharva.
The single bulb in the basement buzzed faintly as Atharva stepped closer,
His face half-lit by the flicker of light.
The man bound to the chair—
Pradhap—
Lifted his head slowly.
His eyes were dull yet sharp, like embers buried in ash.
Atharva's voice trembled at first but grew colder with every word.
"Are you the one they're looking for…? Is it you?"
Pradhap didn't answer.
He couldn't.
"..."
Sixteen years ago...
Atharva himself had cut out his tongue—
A punishment for sins too dark to forget.
And yet… that smile.
That damned smile.
Pradhap's lips curved into a silent, mocking grin, blood still crusted in the cracks of his dry mouth.
Grin~
"..."
It was a look that said more than words ever could.
Atharva froze for a heartbeat,
His chest tightening with a mixture of guilt and fury.
Then his expression hardened.
Without another word,
He picked up the heavy iron chains hanging from the wall and began wrapping them around Pradap's arms and torso—
Tight, mercilessly tight.
The sound of clinking metal echoed in the confined basement.
Pradap groaned through his gag as Atharva wound another loop of the chain around his mouth,
Silencing even the faintest breath.
"..."
When he was done,
Atharva stepped back, breathing heavily.
The sight before him was grim—
Pradap hunched over, bound and gagged,
Nothing more than a relic of his past mistakes.
"You brought this on yourself,"
Atharva muttered coldly,
Slipping the key onto a chain and locking it around his neck.
He turned off the light.
The basement sank into darkness.
Upstairs, he moved through the house with mechanical precision,
Pulling several old speakers from storage.
He fixed them around the main hall and along the verandah, wires trailing like vines across the floor.
Then, after checking the setup one last time, he stepped outside.
The forest wind brushed past him as he climbed into his rusted Ambassador car,
Its headlights flickering to life.
The last thing he heard before driving away was the faint,
Muffled clatter of chains from below—
Clang~ Clang~
Pradhap still struggling in the dark.
Atharva's face was grim as he steered onto the dirt road.
"..."
His destination was clear.
The school.
Outside the School –
The sound of chaos filled the air.
Hundreds of parents screamed and cried,
Held back by thin lines of exhausted police and local volunteers.
Reporters swarmed like vultures,
Flashing cameras and shouting into microphones about the
"Mass Possession of Gujarat."
Behind the yellow barricades,
The school grounds looked eerily still—
Except for the cafeteria building.
Inside, through the dusty windows,
"..."
"..."
"..."
Shadows of students stood in silence,
Nearly one hundred and eighty girls, motionless,
Their faces turned toward the walls as if awaiting a command.
Atharva's car pulled up at the end of the road.
He parked quietly,
Stepping out with his shawl pulled close and his eyes scanning the scene.
His expression was grim.
He could feel the same evil energy that had haunted him sixteen years ago.
He muttered under his breath,
"So… it has begun again."
Before he could move closer,
The sound of another engine approached—
A black jeep coming to a stop a few meters behind his car.
The doors opened.
Click~
Jojo stepped out first, his coat fluttering lightly in the hot Gujarat wind.
Beside him, Caroline adjusted her sunglasses and scanned the crowd,
"..."
"..."
While Inadu, calm and silent, observed the aura around the school, for a moment.
inadu frowned.
Frown~
"This place reeks of dark magic. But there is no need to worry it was pretty weak."
Jojo nodded slowly, watching the cafeteria windows.
Nod~
"Yeah… but this isn't voodoo. right it was black magic."
A nearby police officer noticed them and approached,
Looking stressed and desperate.
"Excuse me! Civilians aren't allowed here—please step back!"
Jojo raised his hand, showed his visiting card and asked the police to inform his superior,
One he often used to avoid such questions.
"We're consultants. Let us in. The longer you wait, the more people will die."
The officer hesitated, then nodded quickly, waving them past the barricade.
"..."
Nod~
As they walked through the crowd,
The parents' voices grew louder—
Pleas, cries, the names of their daughters. Caroline's face softened for a second, and she whispered,
"Jojo… if this is possession, those girls might not survive a forced exorcism."
Jojo's tone was low, steady, yet cold as fire beneath the surface.
"Then we'll do it my way—no priests, no rituals. Just truth and fire."
Inadu's gaze flicked toward a lone man standing at a distance—
Atharva, watching them with sharp eyes full of secrets.
She whispered quietly,
"Someone's been here before us."
Jojo turned, their eyes locking across the crowd.
For a brief moment, time seemed to stop.
Jojo could tell this guy is some how connected to this incident.
The old man approached the police and asked him to allow him to go in.
If they want to save all the girls.
Inside the School Cafeteria...
The heavy cafeteria doors creaked open.
A sharp, cold wave of dread spilled out, thick as fog.
The air reeked of burnt incense and blood.
Hundreds of girls in uniform stood perfectly still, eyes glassy and lifeless, all facing a blank wall scrawled with strange markings.
Jojo entered first, boots echoing softly against the tiled floor.
THUD. THUD.
Atharva walked past them, his old steps unshaken, his voice trembling with both fear and duty.
"Please… let me speak to them."
Jojo said nothing—
Just tilted his chin slightly, granting silent permission.
Atharva stepped forward until he was halfway across the room.
The police stayed near the doorway, watching nervously, fingers hovering near their weapons.
The moment he crossed the invisible threshold,
The girls' heads snapped toward him in perfect unison, eyes were filled with fear.
The sudden movement made the officers flinch.
Caroline whispered,
"Oh my god…"
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review and power stone!!!