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My name is Divya.
And I am currently on my way to collect the money my friend owes me.
The current time is 9:55 p.m. He told me to come to his place at 10, so here I am.
"Haah… what kind of bastard calls a girl to his place this late just to collect money?"
Oh well, even if he turns out to be a human or organ trafficker, I'm totally prepared.
Pepper spray.
Knife.
And the cops' number already on my dial pad.
"Heh."
A small chuckle escaped my mouth.
How smart of me.
Oh well… here we are, standing right in front of his house.
Why does this bastard live in such a secluded area?
There were no buildings, no shops, no people—nothing.
Only trees. Trees. And more trees.
"This really seems suspicious."
"This also feels dangerous cause i rejected his proposal three weeks ago i hope this isn't a fridge related case"
"Well, I can beat the shit out of him if he tries anything funny."
Let's see what he's got in here—though seriously, why does he live in such a huge house?
Thinking that, I rang the doorbell.
Ding-Dong.
The door opened, and that four-eyed bastard's face appeared.
"Hi, Divya… uh, come inside," he said.
"Cut to the chase. My money. Now," I replied.
"Heyyy, I'm not running away with your money. Come inside, please," he said with a grin, opening the door wider.
Curious, I replied, "Okay."
I stepped inside.
And my heart sank.
His house wasn't a house—it was more like a mansion.
Now look, I live in an old house that was built around the time my father was born, and five people live there together.
But here?
There wasn't a single sign that anyone else lived here.
I have only looked at living room but that was enough.
Clean furniture.
A massive TV, almost half the size of the wall.
A giant ass L shaped sofa.
And a gaming console attached to the TV.
I sat down on the sofa and asked, "Hey, dude, if your family earns this much, why did you ask me for just five thousand?"
He poured a glass of orange juice and placed it in front of me.
"I just needed some urgent cash. I didn't want to inform my parents. It was a personal matter," he said.
Then he pushed the glass toward me.
This seriously looks like one of those criminal cases we watch on TV serials.
I didn't take the glass.
"Where's my money?" I asked.
"Ah, just a second," he said, turning toward a drawer.
He pulled out an envelope and placed it in front of me.
"Here."
I picked it up and started counting.
Five hundred.
One thousand.
Fifteen hundred.
Two thousand.
Twenty-five hundred—
Suddenly, something slammed into my shoulder.
My entire body flew back.
Wh—what just happened?
I tried to lift myself.
That's when I realized it.
My arm… my shoulder—
They were gone.
I didn't even understand what was happening.
I panicked.
Then the pain hit.
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
"Why you—" I screamed, but my words died in my throat.
The thing standing in front of me—
That wasn't Rishi.
There should have been my shy, timid friend.
Instead, something else stood there.
Tall.
Green, woody skin.
No eyes.
Only a wide mouth, stretched toward me like it was staring at its meal.
"Kekekekekek."
A disgusting laugh echoed through the room.
I was terrified.
I tried to crawl back.
"N-No… stay back…"
"No! Don't come near me!" I screamed.
The thing laughed again.
"Kekekekekeke. How amazing it is to see fear on the face of someone who rejected me."
"Don't come!" I yelled again, louder this time.
"Kekekekeke, scream all you want. No one is going to come to your rescue."
"This entire house is surrounded by trees. They block your voice—with my power."
"Kekekekeke… now look at you. You're going to become a good food for my spiritual core."
I was shaking.
No voice came out anymore.
I couldn't move a single muscle.
My body was drenched in sweat, my eyes wide open, fixed on the creature in front of me.
So this is it…
This is how I die.
I closed my eyes.
I felt its hand touch my leg.
Then it said, "Try to do anything you can, but—"
Thump.
A loud sound echoed.
Suddenly, the creature's hand was gone.
I opened my eyes.
"You're saying quite a few things for a recently awakened creature."
A tall boy stood there, dressed in black.
Black clothes.
Black hair.
I could only see his back.
Then—he vanished.
And in the next moment, he appeared right in front of that thing.
He slammed its head straight into the TV.
The screen shattered.
The creature's body disintegrated into dust, scattering across the floor.
He turned back toward me.
He looked young—maybe late teens.
Handsome.
No beard. No mustache.
"My name's Anant," he said calmly.
"Looks like we need to talk about a few things, lady."
And I have to say—
He looked freaking cool.
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