Then Veer heard a painful scream — someone crying out, "Run away from here!"
Veer was shocked again. "Why am I seeing the same scene again?" he thought.
Just then, a voice came, "Hello mister, who are you and what are you doing here?"
Veer turned toward the sound and saw that the girl had come near him, asking questions. Veer tried to reply, "Ma'am, I am…"
But the girl interrupted him and said, "Wait, are you a thief?" Then she shouted, "Thief! Thief! Someone's here!"
Veer said, "Hey! Listen to me, at least hear who I am!"
Some local boys, who looked like troublemakers, pushed Veer and started questioning him, "Who are you? Where did you come from? You just got here and already started teasing girls?" One of them punched Veer in the face.
That made Veer furious. He said, "So you only understand the language of fists, huh? Alright, come on then!"
A fight broke out — punches, kicks, and loud noises like "thud! crash! bam!" filled the air.
Suddenly, the police arrived and grabbed the boys.
The girl said, "Sir, these are the ones who were troubling us."
One of the constables replied, "They were troubling you? He is the new sub-inspector of this village! He just arrived today."
The girl looked embarrassed, bowed her head slightly, and said softly, "Sorry, sir, I didn't recognize you," then walked away.
Veer smiled to himself and muttered, "Wish I had at least learned her name."
Then a constable asked, "Sir, what should we do about these boys?"
Veer said, "Take them along. I need to question them about a few things. Let's go — I'll also see what the main area of the village looks like. Slowly, I'll get to know everything about this place."
Veer went to the police station with those boys. When he got there, he was shocked to see its condition — the entire place was run-down, falling apart, and looked less like a police station and more like a spider's den. Cobwebs covered the walls and ceiling.
He thought for a moment about what he would even do here. Then he made the boys sit down and said, "Will you tell me what's going on, or should I do something that will make you scream in pain?"
The boys quickly responded, "No, no, sir! We were just joking around. We didn't know that you were a police officer. Please forgive us, sir, and let us go. We won't make such a mistake again."
Veer said, "Forget that. Just tell me how long you've all been living here in this village, what's been happening in that school, and what incidents have occurred there."
Hearing this, the boys looked frightened. One of them said, "Sir, that story is very long. If we start now, it'll be morning before we finish. And even if we tell you everything, you won't believe or understand any of it. So please, sir, we're begging you—just let us go. Because if 'he' finds out, he'll burn you down along with this police station."
Veer narrowed his eyes and said, "Who is this 'he' you're talking about—the one who'll burn me? Let's see about that."
Then turning to his constable, he ordered, "Don't release them until I say so, understood?"
"Yes, sir," replied the constable.
Veer returned home, and inside the house, he felt as if someone else was watching him. However, he didn't feel afraid; he thought to himself that it was nonsense, probably just the wind making him feel that way.
After eating dinner, Veer decided to go to the police station again. When he stepped outside around 10 p.m., he noticed the entire village was silent—like an empty graveyard. As he walked, his footsteps echoed through the village. People peered at him from behind their windows and said, "This boy has gone mad, he is looking to die soon." Then, one by one, they shut their windows.
Veer said to himself, "It looks like only cowardly people live in this village. Why was I sent here, among these lifeless humans?" He arrived at the police station and called out,
"Constable, constable, constable!"
But nobody came outside. When Veer entered, he saw all the policemen hiding inside the jail cells. Veer demanded, "What is all this? Come out, quickly!"
One constable replied, "Sir, you don't know, but anyone who goes outside after 10 p.m. is sure to face death."
Veer said, "Is that so? If you don't come outside, I'll shoot you all."
Summoning their courage, the constables came out into the open. Veer said, "That girl didn't explain anything. Okay, do one thing—let those boys go outside the police station."
The boys pleaded, "Sir, please don't let us go out! We'd rather die here than be released. Please, don't make us leave."
Veer replied, "If that's the case, then tell me everything—you have to reveal the whole story."
---
Then, after that, Veer uncovered more secrets about the school, each piece of information signaling that his troubles were only going to multiply.
But he was steeled, prepared to confront every challenge that came his way. And then Veer simply says, "Begin."
One of the boys steps forward, his eyes distant, and slips into a flashback, starting to narrate his tale.
"This goes back to when we were small children. In those days, this school was... somewhat better. But we were always told stories about this place, tales and anecdotes read to us from books. Now, the very thought of going near it fills us with fear."
Veer probes, "What occurred? What could make an entire village so afraid?"
And so, the story began...
"Two boys and a girl from an outside village came to study in that school. They were admitted, but from the start, they seemed abnormal. It's just that... they didn't seem human. They were something else entirely. After their admission, they were seated at the back of our classroom. For a while, school carried on as usual. Everything was fine for a few days, maybe just a few weeks. Then, one day, there was a cyclonic storm and an unnervingly silent night. What we witnessed that day..."
Suddenly, the police station trembled. A violent tremor shook the building. Veer felt a sharp jolt. The boys began to scream, "Save us! It's them!" Veer yelled back, his voice cutting through the panic, "Stay calm! It's just an earthquake! Keep quiet!"
The constable barked orders, "Lock them inside. I need to uncover the truth. First, I must see what is happening and why!"
"Jee, Sir. You go. I will hold them here."
"Okay."
Without another word, Veer moved out from there, the mystery deepening around him.