Daughters of Kalika

৬. the people in trouble

It is the survival of the fittest.

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Devipuram wasn't just serene for Maya now. It had turned into a maze which she had willingly entered but didn't know the way out.

Maya thought about the welfare of the villagers. Her boss would probably ask her to come back and leave the assignment if he got to know about the chain of murders happening, because it wasn't their job to stick their nose into the paranormal affairs of rural folk.

But Maya had grown on them in the little time she had spent here. She had woven an attachment with everyone she met. To leave them now in the midst of such a menacing series of murders that was most definitely going to continue wasn't in Maya's ethical code.

She knew she had to be here. She had to do something.

The greens basked in the warm rays of the sun, as if painted by an artist in splashes of blood-red soaked in colloidal gold. The cattle returned home after grazing, dust spiraling behind them. Kids with sticks rolled pebbles on the ground while following their mothers who walked in the front with pitchers full of fresh water.

"You have bewitched me."

Indeed, Maya was in love with Devipuram despite getting a close glimpse of its darkness. She wanted to become a part of this big family and to do something to ease the pain of the people.

As the sun dived deeper beyond the horizon, Maya rang the bell of Aadi Babu's house, now also her temporary home. Anandi opened it.

"Come in."

It was a faint, feeble voice.

Maya saw that all colours were drained from her face. Anandi didn't even coat her lips with lipstick or wear the bindi today. There was definitely an unwelcoming change in the house.

Maya sat down on a chair and tapped her fingers on the dinner table absentmindedly.

"Did you see the body?" Anandi asked somewhat half-heartedly.

Maya looked up at Anandi. "Not from close up, just from a distance. I didn't have the guts to go near."

"Ho-how is Hrishav?"

Maya heaved a sigh. "Not good at all. He was vomiting when I got there."

"There's definitely a difference between carrying out animal sacrifices and watching dead bodies. He isn't strong for the latter."

Maya found the comment rude, but she didn't express it. "Has he vomited every time he saw the bodies?" she instead asked.

Anandi raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I know this is the fifth murder."

Anandi pursed her lips. "Oh, I see." She nervously scratched her chin. "I heard he became really sick after the fourth victim. I don't know about the ones before. Maybe he isn't ready to face any more of this. None of us are ready, for that matter."

"Do you really think everything is happening for his, you know, bad luck?"

"I don't think it's about his bad luck. It is about our bad luck. We have either enraged the Mother or resurrected the Devil."

Maya believed in miracles, voodoo and ghosts as much as she believed in raw rationale. At this moment though, it was getting difficult to choose one.

"Were the other bodies too found inside the temple premises?" Maya asked.

"Yes. The murderer always dumps it there." Anandi balled her hands into fists. "Maybe the murderer is an atheist."

"Are all the victims women?"