There He Is.

It was a dark summer evening. I was on the balcony, gazing from the 13th floor. Sun was looking red hot, the hot rays were touching my face giving me a warm hug. Black clouds are housing in the sky faster than the sun dropping on the horizon. I had a cup of coffee in my left hand and my right hand was on the railings. I wanted some well-needed free time after all that happened the week before. I was thinking about the moment before all it happened. A moment that changed everything in a second. People often don't hide their relationship but it was different. I loved him. I wanted him to be here. I don't have the energy to yell or call anyone. I want to be alone just like I was before my relationship with Shikhar. I knew he wanted to make things right, I knew he wanted to love me, hold me, talk to me but I wasn't listening. I didn't want to think about that. I wanted to enjoy the moment instead my thoughts occupied me completely that I didn't know I'd been tilting my cup every second and spilling my coffee onto the oncoming traffic. I let go of the cup, and I heard a faint sound of my ceramic cup hitting against the asphalt. 'Best Girlfriend' cup is now shattered into thousand little pieces. I heard people yelling from the traffic but I didn't even look. I touched my face. I was sweating. The clouds were getting thicker, I looked up and there he was, hanging in the still space, just above my head. A person looking over me constantly, for years. I don't know who he is. I don't know what he wanted. I am writing this letter and this man is staring at me from the dark corner of the room. He wouldn't let me go until I write something he wants me to write. I am scared, this is the longest I've written after he dragged the notebook away from me and slid it back, blank. He wants me to write something, and I don't know what it is. Maybe he wants me to write what happened a week before but he knows what happened because he was there too, when it all happened. Why does he want me to write that again? I stopped writing, he dragged the notebook again and sent it again with full force. There are some words written on the page- mirrored and upside down. I turned the page down and tilted the notebook. Truth, it read. I got scared and wanted to get up when he moved and closes up on me. I can feel his breath over my temples, he pushed me down and slid the notebook back. He hasn't done anything like this since the day I met him. I want to go to my room and touch myself, just the way Shikhar would’ve if he were here. If it hadn't been for him, I would have wanted to start my new life with Shikhar and save up some cash for our future. I don't like him looking over me all the time. He is always here, always, even when I am naked when I am masturbating when I am making love when I am yelling at my associates when I am on a date. I can see him everywhere, from the shiny cutlery to the shiny bottle of wine. He even scared away Shikhar on our first date. He is not bad, he helped me a lot. I can win any case I pick from the firm. He helped me win almost every case that I got promoted twice in a year. He can manipulate people, he can distract people, he can make them go crazy and he can kill people for you. Yes, he can kill people for you. That's what he did to Shikhar when I brought him home last week. He killed him, in cold blood. I watched him dig a hole in his chest with his bare hands. I watched him break his fingers, one by one, each finger he laid on me was in the most gruesome position. I couldn't see what he was doing to him so I ran. I ran until I got away from the smell of blood in the air, but there he was- standing in front of me like a shadow. He never forced me to watch or do anything for him. He never forced me. Yes, Yes, he would never force me to do something. But he wouldn't kill someone until I was there. I have to go home and watch Shikhar die to make this all go away. I sat down on a bench and after a couple of minutes, I started walking towards my flat. When I opened the door of the room I smelled blood. Shikhar was lying on the white sheets which are now deep red. When I saw him, I got a sick feeling in my stomach and I ran towards the balcony to get some fresh air. And after 10 days, I am here in my bedroom writing it down for him, the figure standing in the corner. When I finished it, he dragged the notebook and slid it back again with blood all over the notebook. I got up and this time he didn't stop me. I opened the door of the storeroom and saw Shikhar there, dead and mutilated. I looked for his finger and grabbed the ring I gave him as a gift. I grabbed it and pushed it down in my side purse. I opened the door and started walking down the corridor towards the elevator. I pushed the down button and it opened immediately after. I saw him standing right after me in the mirror but it was different, he has something in his hand. He moved a bit so as I did, he is now controlling my body. He made me grab a pen from my purse and stabbed me three times in my left eye. He strangled me and pressed my head against the wall and banged my head until I was unconscious. I felt blood dripping all over my forehead and nose. I woke up here three days later.

'And that's it?', asked the Police Inspector.

'Yes', I said, 'I even have the dead body of Shikhar in my store room'

'yes, about that, he is alive if you want to know', said the inspector, 'we have some questions for you if you don't mind answering'

I was shocked, I woke up in a hospital, and the love of my life whom I saw dead a week before is now alive and I was almost killed by a bloody ghost and this man is asking me questions instead of just figuring out what the actual fuck is going on in this world.

'I don't know, Shikhar is alive?', I said, 'but I saw him dead a week before'

'A week before?', said the Police Inspector in distress, 'ma'am, you've been here for three months

'No-no-no-no-no-no, three-three mo-months?', I said, 'what do you mean three months? Was I in a coma?'

'Yes, ma'am. You've been in a coma for three months, said the Inspector, 'we want to know why you were trying to kill Shikhar?'

'What?', I yelled, 'I was trying to kill Shikhar? Are you out of your fucking mind?'

'No, I have proof mam', the Police inspector said after calling someone from the outside.

A fine man in his mid-30s walked into the ward wearing a white angelic shirt and brown ankle-length pants which he folded twice. It was Shikhar, he was limping a bit.

'Hey, Aparna. How are you?', said Shikhar.

It was only three of us in the ward. I was shocked and didn't say anything. I started crying.

'I thought you were dead', I said while crying.

'He was almost dead, but when we found you drenched in blood, we checked your cozy little flat and found him in your storeroom. So whatever bullshit story you've been feeding us has to stop.', said the Police Inspector, 'this man could've been dead, so you better tell us why did you do it or I can just lock you up in our holding cell where you'll get a chance to speak up when the court will let you and let me tell you- its gonna take months'

'I am telling the truth', I said, 'I lost my eye, I lost my love, I lost everything. WHY THE FUCK WOULD I LIE?'

I was panting badly when I saw him again, just behind Shikhar. The Smirk on his face looked familiar. I know that look. I don't want to look at him but he's reminding me of something. He made me do it. He had done it, not me. I am innocent. I am not the culprit.

'Ma'am, we have video proof of you banging your head in the wall and stabbing yourself in the eye', said the Police Inspector, 'we even have the video proof of you leaving your flat right after you attacked Shikhar with a machete'

'What?', I said, 'I didn't attack anyone, I didn't do anything. He made me to it'

I pointed at the man standing behind Shikhar, they both looked there and then looked at me. They won's listen. I knew this. I am not feeling good. I just want to go home. They are not believing me.

'Are you ready to die?', said the Police Inspector with a very deep and low whisper.

I looked at him. His eyes were milky white and he was drooling blood. Shikhar was there too, trying to open the door.

'Why do you want me dead?', I said, 'Why me?'

'You are special', said the Police Inspector, 'Now grab my gun and Shoot yourself or I'll kill Shikhar'

'I am not doing this', I said knowing that this will trigger him but I don't want to die.

He reached for his gun and shot Shikhar in the leg. He collapsed on the floor in an instant. People were trying to open the ward door.

'You want me to kill him?', said the Police Inspector.

I grabbed the gun and pointed it at my face. I saw that smirk on his face again. I know that this will make him happy. I pulled the trigger, I felt the bullet piercing through my throat and the next thing I remember is I am standing beside him, floating in the still space.

I saw myself on the bed. A hole in the face, one eye covered with a bandage, stitches on the forehead, eyes rolled back, tongue splitting into two halves. I looked at myself and a smirk houses my face.

Three men rushed into the ward after hearing two gunshots. The Police Inspector was standing in the corner, shaking. Shikhar was on the ground, unconscious.

'She was telling the truth', said the Police Inspector, 'She was telling us the truth'.

Shikhar got shifted to another room, I saw my body being taken to the morgue. I didn't know what I should do. So, I stayed.

I stayed by Shikhar.

I was there when he woke up.

'I'll be with you forever', I said.

He looked tired but smiled back.

And that's how Aparna Seth died. She shot herself with Inspector Jatin's gun.

The time is 17:15 dated 22nd May 2028.

'Actually, I have something to say', said Inspector Jatin in a shaky voice, 'I just got a message from the home branch, Shikhar hanged himself this morning'

'Should I add that, sir or should we just close this now?', asked Raghav.

'This case rests now', said Deputy Officer Oswal in a deep voice.

'No- you are not listening', said Inspector Jatin holding back his fear and tears, 'I am seeing three figures staring at me from the corner of the room'