What Happened to Jasmine?

  Chapter Two

 

  As they left the city and headed to the highway, Preeti gazed out the window, staring at the night sky, lost in her thoughts of her failed relationship. It was only after a drop of rain hit the window that she snapped out of her reverie and realized that no one in the car had spoken a word. Aksh was driving and he had propped up one elbow against the window and clutching his forehead.

  For someone who had just achieved his dreams, Aksh appeared withdrawn and tense. Rudra was sitting beside him and he was glued to his phone. No doubt his girlfriend was texting him. Preeti felt a twinge of jealousy and dismissed it immediately. She had no right to be jealous of someone else's relationship just because hers had failed. In fact, she dreaded revealing her breakup to Rudra who would be amused since she had rejected him in college. She felt Maya's hand clutch hers and she looked at her friend.

  "Are you okay?" she asked in a low tone, intended only for her ears.

  Preeti nodded, making sure Dhiraj who was sitting on the other side of Maya, hadn't heard. She needn't be concerned as Dhiraj was listening to music on his phone. When he saw her looking at him, he removed a earphone and raised an eyebrow at her. Preeti smiled and shook her head. More rain splattered against the windows and windshield, but it looked like it wouldn't turn into a storm after all.

  Aksh was a cautious driver, so they really had nothing to fear about skidding on the slippery roads. As more minutes passed, and no one had said anything, Preeti squirmed in her seat. This would be the first time that the friends had met up and not created the revelry that was usual for them. At first she had thought Maya must have briefed them about her breakup, but the way her friends were acting, it seemed everyone was entwined in problems of their own. She longed to ask them about it, but then she would have to reveal hers as well. Unable to bear the silence anymore, she pushed herself forward.

  "So where exactly are we going?" she asked. "I mean, where is the farmhouse?"

  "Uh... it's in the countryside," Aksh replied, distractedly. "It's a two hour drive."

  "Oh," Preeti said in a small voice. "What is the name of the place?"

  Aksh seemed annoyed with her persistent questions. "In Diladar."

  Rudra, who was sitting beside him, suddenly slammed his phone on the dashboard and punched the side door. Aksh turned to him. "Hey!"

  Rudra picked up his phone and shoved it down his pocket. "Sorry, man."

  "Are you okay?" Aksh asked.

  "Yeah." Rudra looked over and pointed at the indicator. "You're running low on petrol."

  "I'll make a stop at the next petrol station. After that there won't be another one until we reach Diladar," Aksh replied.

  Preeti sat back, watching the rain slowing down. Somewhere in front of them was a couple on a motorcycle. Only the man had the helmet on while the woman was shielding herself from the rain with a scarf. They made a right and were gone, leaving their jeep the only vehicle on the long road. Maya leaned her head back and closed her eyes and Preeti decided that her friends were probably tired which was why they weren't their usual selves. She decided to get some sleep too, when Aksh made a sharp left turn.

  Sitting up straight, she saw the bright lights of the petrol station and decided to get out and stretch her legs while Aksh filled the tank. When the car stopped, Preeti opened the door and found herself being pushed out by Maya.

  "Sorry," she said. "I was feeling a bit stuffy in there."

  "You could sit by the window when we get back in." Preeti offered.

  "Thanks," she said. "Let's get a bottle of water from the mart."

  "You girls stay here," Dhiraj said. "I'll go get it." Everyone got out of the car while the attendant opened up the tank and inserted the nozzle. As Aksh and Rudra made their way to the small mart, Dhiraj was coming out with two large bottles of water in his hands. "Here you go."

  "Thanks." Maya broke the seal and uncapped the bottle. "Want some?" Preeti shook her head. "You go ahead." Dhiraj stood with his hands in his pockets, looking around at the station and then back at them, as if hesitating to tell them something.

  "You seem distracted," Preeti told him. "Yeah, just some stuff. And other people's stuff as well." He turned toward the mart, indicating Aksh and Rudra.

  "What do you mean?" Preeti asked.

  "Hey!" Maya said. "I thought we guys decided not to discuss our problems."

  Preeti was leaning against the wall and straightened, looking at her two friends curiously. "What's going on? All of you look so serious."

  "It's nothing." Maya took another gulp of water.

  "We're all friends here. If we can't tell our problems to each other, then what's the point of our friendship?" Preeti said.

  "All right, then you go first." Maya challenged, putting the bottle down on the hood of the car with such force that some of the water spilled out. The attendant looked startled but kept to himself.

  "What's your problem?" Preeti asked. "Why are you so irritated?"

  Maya twisted the cap back on the bottle and took her hand. "I'm sorry," she said. "Look, all you need to know is that something happened and we all needed a break. We need to have some fun and forget all our problems. After the weekend, I promise we'll talk about it. Until then, please..."

  "Okay," Preeti said. "Just one question: is it serious? Are you guys in serious trouble?"

  Dhiraj patted her back. "Nothing we can't handle." He smiled. "It's a bit of an ugly coincidence that we all have gotten ourselves into trouble at the same time."

  "Nah, mine has been brewing since I was born," Maya said. "It's just become unbearable now."

  Dhiraj watched Aksh and Rudra come out and frowned. "For some, the problems have been created by their own hands."

  "What are you talking about?" Maya asked and Preeti was relieved to know that she wasn't the only one who didn't know what was going on.

  Dhiraj shrugged. "After the weekend is over, remember?"

  Preeti took a swig of water and stared at Rudra wondering if Dhiraj was talking about him. After seeing Rudra's outburst in the car, she wondered if it had something to do with his girlfriend. Did they break up as well? She chided herself for being smug about it. Just because hers hadn't worked out, didn't give her the right to be happy if someone else's relationship wasn't working out.

  "Ready to go?" Aksh asked.

  "Yup," Maya said, returning to the car. Preeti offered to let her sit by the window again, but Maya declined and sat between her and Dhiraj. They all resumed their places while Aksh paid off the attendant. Then he got back in the car and started to drive.

  "It's finally stopped raining." Preeti tried to make idle conversation. Anything was better than the eerie silence from her friends.

  "Hmm," Rudra said.

  "You guys want to listen to some music?" she asked.

  "I'm trying to sleep," Maya snapped. Preeti frowned but didn't argue with her testy friend. They drove in silence again and Preeti took a cue from Dhiraj and took out her own earphones from her purse. She wasn't sleepy yet and plagued by her troubled thoughts anyway. Inserting the earphones in her ears, she scrolled down the playlist to play soft instrumental music that reflected the beautiful night.

  The clouds had finally parted and the moon made its appearance. Twinkling stars littered across the inky blanket that was the sky and Preeti felt a glimmer of peace settle within; enough to sedate her to go to sleep. She rested her head on the window and closed her eyes, savoring the music playing in her ears. This was her favorite part. The piano gave way to the violins that evoked a feeling of peace within her. She started to fall into the deep dark pit of sleep, when suddenly she was jolted violently from it as the car came to a screeching halt.

  "Watch where you're going!" Aksh screamed at someone. Preeti felt her heart pounding in her chest. The music in her ears turned to a shrill cry and she plucked the earphones from her ears and thrust it aside. Beside he
r, Maya too was sitting up straight while Dhiraj let out a cry and pulled out his earphones. He rubbed his ears and Preeti realized he had heard the shrill sound too.

  Staring ahead, she saw an old bearded man dressed in white, walking toward them. He was limping and supporting himself with a thick stick. When he drew closer, Preeti clutched the headrest of the front seat. The man looked to be about eighty-years-old at least and his eyes were green and milky. He knocked on Aksh's window until he finally relented and opened it.

  "What are you doing here late at night?" Aksh scolded him. "Walking down the middle of the road... I almost hit you!" Preeti swallowed as Aksh screamed at the old man. Since when had her docile friend turned aggressive? Troubles sure changed people, she thought.

  "Don't go," The old man said in a wobbly voice Preeti gasped. She remembered how she had a whisper in her ear when she had been waiting for her friends below her building. Hadn't the voice sounded the same?

  "What?" Aksh said rudely.

  "There's danger ahead." The old man warned.

  "Is the road closed?" Rudra leaned over.

  "Don't take the forest road," The old man told him. "It is dangerous."

  "Why?" Preeti asked. "What's happened there?"

  "Death strolls the roads," The old man said in a mystical tone. "Many have died in the forest road."

  "Forest road?" Aksh asked incredulously. "There is no such road. Unless you mean..."

  "Don't even speak its name!" The old man said. "It's cursed. Anyone who travels it meets only despair and death. It's haunted by ghosts that have never found peace. They seek revenge and prey on anyone who crosses their path."

  "He's crazy," Maya murmured. "Sir, please go home. Does your family know you're out here?"

  "Don't go ahead." The old man shook a finger.

  "Just drive," Maya said, tapping on Aksh's shoulder. "He's a senile old man." Aksh drove off and Preeti turned to watch the old man standing in the middle of the road, staring at them.

  "That was spooky," Preeti said. "Which road was he talking about?"

  "Didn't you hear him?" Maya laughed. "The mere mention of the name will kill you!" Everyone started to laugh except for Preeti who only smiled. At least her friends were happy, and that made her feel a little better, even though it was at the expense of the poor old man. "Darkwood Road," Aksh told them.

  "That doesn't sound too scary," Preeti said.

  Rudra turned to her. "Oh that's not what the people call it. It's called The Haunted road or The Road of Death, as the old man said."

  "I have never heard of about it," Preeti said.

  "You must have heard about Tina Sulekhna," Maya said.

  "Yeah, the daughter of the businessman who went missing two years ago." Preeti said.

  "Uh-huh, apparently rumor has it that she was raped and killed here and her body dumped in the woods that run along Darkwood Road," Maya told her. "Some say that her spirit has been seen, but her parents refuse to believe their daughter is dead. They still hold out hope she'll return to them."

  "That's so sad," Preeti said. "Didn't the police investigate leads? I mean if people saw her spirit, maybe they actually saw her, lost and roaming around to find her way back home."

  "The police did come and investigate. But they found nothing and as night fell, they returned," Dhiraj said. "The horror stories of that place frighten even the police."

  "What else happened there?" Preeti asked. "Apparently years ago, the woods were a haven to the criminals. They buried their enemies there-sometimes alive."

  "Whoa!" Preeti gasped.

  "Yeah and I heard a disgruntled failing student murdered his teacher and hung her on the tree," Dhiraj said. "Oh and there was a woman who escaped from the mental institution and found a home in the woods," Maya added. "Legend has it that to date she roams the woods and the road in search of her children, which she'd murdered."

  "Okay, guys stop!" Preeti said. "This is really scaring me."

  "Two lovers committed suicide there," Rudra said. "Their parents were against their marriage, yet they married and their families chased them out of town."

  "Oh no," Aksh said, finally breaking his silence. "The families were hunting them down. They chose to kill themselves in each other's arms rather than be killed by hatred." "That's disturbingly romantic in a way," Preeti said. "Okay guys, you have me convinced. We are not going down that road. I don't want to run into any ghosts."

  "But that's a shortcut to the farmhouse," Aksh said in an expressionless tone. "I don't care!" Preeti said.

  "Yeah, I don't think I would be very comfortable either," Maya said. "We'll take Shirin Road instead."

  "You girls are afraid of everything," Aksh said in a temper. "Hey, if they're not comfortable..." Dhiraj started to say. Aksh turned around, his eyes wide and wild. "We are going by Darkwood Road!" he screamed.

  "Aksh..." Preeti was suddenly scared.

  "Hey just relax, you're scaring them," Rudra intervened. Aksh glared at her and Preeti averted her eyes. When she saw a blinding white light ahead, she gasped. "Aksh... look out!" Aksh turned around, but it was too late.