Upon Investigation...

Bamal Kaif looked around his surroundings one more time. No, there was no one. Though the dial of his watch showed eight o'clock, but to Bamal, it felt more like midnight 

(God I've plunged them into darkness)

to him, over here at Naskarpara.

Usually, he used to stroll out over here and there when he was off-duty. But today, he did not come over here for his usual strolling. He had come to uncover a mystery -

(not a mystery fool it is a murderer)

the mystery of the 'MURDER HOUSE'.

As far as Kaif could remember - one by one - eight murders had occurred over here simultaneously. People have reported that the 6 men (and 2 women who came here to find out the 'thing' about this house, did not return the following day, but were found dead - with a knife sticking out of their heart. Some of them also reported that a loud - but faint - gramophone could be heard playing at around eleven o'clock in the night - exactly around the same time the victims had gone over there...

Bamal knew - for sure - that these murders were the work of Sayantan Das

(absurd theory Kaifi absurd why would he require a house then absurd)

for he had known him for maybe five years now, and knew very well how dangerous he was.

A serial killer, Sayantan Das was responsible for the deaths of fifteen people over the course of three years in Calcutta. A really clever and cunning man, he has served sentences which accounted to six years. He just got released two weeks ago.

(why did I do it I'm so foolish I passed the verdict oh damn)

He thought that he had learnt his lesson. But Bamal was wrong

(oh terribly wrong)

about it.

He gave one last look at the short, black 'Murder House' - located at the last point of the Naskarpara. it looked like a cottage - the wooden door had numerous scratches and tears which made it look rusty and broken. Bamal gave one knock on the door.

No sound came from the other side. After knocking three more times, he noticed that the door was already open. He entered the house, and that was when a strong winter wind suddenly blew and slammed the door shut!

(Jesus you're fortunate to bring the torch man)

Bamal switched on his torch. The old walls got illuminated by its light. He began to move around, searching for his man - Sayantan. He must be hiding around here somewhere around here...somewhere...

Bamal entered a room - it seemed to be the dining quarters. He saw some graffiti drawn on the walls of the room. Some of them read - 'GOD SAVE ME', 'HELP', 'NO HOPE' - et cetera. But what frightened Bamal a bit was the writing: 'YOU ARE NEXT'.

He didn't know why, but the officer suddenly felt a cold sweat break out all of a sudden. He felt something terribly wrong

(what is this place)

with his surroundings. As if one more minute over here, and something would happen.

(they also felt it)

Suddenly, a creaking sound made Bamal jump a bit behind. He didn't notice it earlier - a gramophone, which was illuminated by a faint beam coming from a candle nearby.

(what the hell)

If he was right, then this gramophone was there every night - the nights on which the eight people had been murdered. But what significance it had with them? Was it only for show, or did it...

(sound kills. Noise pollution...)

Bamal heard that a song was being played on the gramophone. He recognized it as the Robert Johnson song, 'Crossroads'. But, after some time, he heard it to be stuck, and it repeated one line:

'You can run, you can run...You can run, you can run...You can run, you can run...

(why are you still here run)

Bamal was at first shocked as to what was happening, when suddenly he saw another strange sight.

Blood.

Yes, fresh, red blood was flowing on the floor, beside his feet!

Bamal tried to run, but slipped over and fell down to the floor. His clothes got stained by the red blood. The gramophone seemed to be struck on that line - the record became more broken, or was it his decreasing consciousness?

As he groped on the floor, his hands suddenly felt something cold and fleshy. Giving a light gasp, he focused his torch over there, and froze.

Sayantan Das! 

And his clothes were stained with blood issuing from his chest! He had been stabbed!

Bamal couldn't understand. But then...then who...?

But just as he started to think, something metallic hit him hard on the back...he groaned and fell down beside the dead serial killer...the blood flow continued to run...

After a few moments, the gramophone stopped.

And then, there was silence, and deep darkness at the end point of Naskarpara...

The 'MURDER HOUSE'.

***

M.Macabre

25.10.2020