Podcast Episode 171: Abandoned Village Horror

[Music] [Music] [Music] welcome to Dr creepen's [Music] dungeon abandoned Villages evoke a sense of eeriness and unease for several reasons first has the Silence that pervades these deserted places it amplifies any sound whether it's the creaking of old buildings or the rustling of overgrown vegetation creating an atmosphere of isolation and desolation then there's the decaying structures with their broken windows crumbling walls and sagging roofs serving as haunting reminders of the past lives that once inhabited them hinting at Tales of Abandonment and tragedy abandoned Villages exude a sense of mystery and Melancholy that can sense shivers down the spine of anyone who dares to explore the deserted streets as we shall see in tonight's featurelength story now as ever before we begin a word of caution tonight's tale may contain strong language as well as descriptions of violence and horrific imagery that sounds like your kind of thing then let's begin I just met the Lone Survivor of a village that disappeared over 200 years ago I felt nothing but utter confusion as I looked at the frail Bes spectacled man standing in front of me a bear attack I asked again this time with more emphasis on the name of the fury animal the man put his hands inside the broad pockets of his lab coat and Shrugged well the injuries are consistent with what he told us but doctor I interrupted there's absolutely no way that he ran into a bear in the middle of the desert they can't survive in that heat there shouldn't be any damn bears for hundreds of kilometers in any direction with all due respect Mr Sabu he sighed I am not a wildlife expert all I know is that I have a patient who is the victim of an animal attack and that I have to treat him that's it that's really all that I care about how that animal came to be where it was and attack your brother lies beyond my area of expertise yeah I get it I'm sorry doctor it's just been a very stressful day for me I said running my fingers through my hair so um can I see it he nodded sullenly although visiting hours are over we'll let you meet him for a while but he really needs his rest so you have to leave when the nurse tells you to okay we didn't wait for an answer now if you'll please excuse me and with that he was gone shotting down the hallway and disappearing around around the corner before I could even begin to wrap my head around what he just told me I peaked through the window of the room to my left and saw my brother lying on his bed wrapped up in bandages and staring off silently into the distance for the h 100th time this night I wondered what exactly had happened to lakia that reduced him to this state what was he doing in the middle of nowhere how did he run into a bear at a place where the average summer temperatures hit 50° C each year because again there should be no bears in the th desert I exhaled and knocked on the door hey Luxy greeted weakly as I popped my head in hey yourself I replied and entered the room before plopping myself on a small chair beside him how are you feeling like [ __ ] imotep he answered as he burst into a bout of painful love I couldn't help but Smile as a wave of nostalgia washed Over Me At The Mention Of The Mummy felt like just yesterday when the three of us snuck out and bought bootleg vcds of the Brandon Fraser movies and saw them in the common room at the orphanage while trying to hide from the watchful eyes of sister M I'm not surprised that you do I said nodding at his bandaged body and limbs wrapped up in plaster of parents so um I began tentatively what happened he looked away at that and I saw his eyes begin to water do you not want to talk about it I asked hoping he would be willing to talk I needed answers no it's fine he whispered you deserve to know a couple of moments passed as a tense quiet settled between the two of us so what happened I prodded awkwardly I just met the Lone Survivor from a village that had disappeared 200 years ago he replied in a matter of fat way excuse me I chuckled nervously it's going to sound unbelievable still want to hear it he asked firmly I looked at him closely wondering whether he was under the influence of drugs or something was just blabbering nonsense but his eyes were sharper than ever and he seemed fully alert so I had little reason to doubt him I nodded almost imperceptibly and he launched into the most bizarre story I've ever heard in my life turning my brain into a mosh pit of fear anxiety and confusion as he revealed more and more details of his experience by the time the nurse came in and kicked me out I was fully engrossed in the narrative as Fantastical as it was I felt extremely reluctant leaving the hospital not because I was leaving my injured brother alone but because the story was still mostly incomplete I couldn't sleep so I decided to post his story here even if no one else believes this well I know you guys will so here it goes luxuous story as he told me I've always been fascinated with rajastan luxurious palaces imposing fortresses that stretch far enough to cover a small town haunted stepwells hypnotic dances like the Calia and GMA performed by stunning women pouting in their orate Le hungers the enchanting wooden puppet so I could spend my entire life discovering the little quirks and Mysteries this beautiful Sandy state has to offer and still not see everything but by far the one Legend and I've been obsessed with my entire life is that of the kulhara village located about 18 kilm to the west of Ja Salma near the Pakistani border this tiny little Hamlet is said to have been abandoned 200 years ago and as since acquired the reputation of being one of the most haunted places in the country its Legend has grown famous enough to acquire a life of its own with the government itself using it to encourage haunting tourism no one stays in this place after dusk whether it be tourists or government officials and even today people from the surrounding Villages speak of kulhara with fear why was this place abandoned was it because of an oppressive local ruler who demanded too much in taxes as the legend proclaimed or was it something else I didn't know the answers to those questions but what I did understand was how incredibly bizarre it was that there was someone from this village with proper documentation to back up her wild claims she said her name was kosala pwa came The Whisper of one of my co-workers at SBI Bank Jaan the branch I nodded that part wasn't at all surprising ghara who said to have originally been inhabited by palal brahs are you sure she's not just a nut I asked Softly She has papers and everything he replied white eyed I rolled my eyes all right send her to my office at this point I wasn't taking any of this seriously there could be a multitude of rational explanations for this forg documents by an illegal immigrant trying to establish citizenship someone tormenting a mentally ill woman so on this might be the real thing didn't even register as a possibility Galia palal was a sickly middle-aged woman with such sharp wrinkles it looked like someone had taken a knife and carved them onto her face I took a sip of my piping hot coffee and studied this strange woman that sat in front of me nervously fiddling with her P Loop uh how can I help you m I asked politely I I am from Kara she said in a surprisingly rough voice I know you don't believe me but I am I really am she started rifling through a tattered old leather bag on her lap look look she said frantically waving some papers at me I have documents I gently took the thin stack of papers from her hand and began to study them electricity bills property papers voter ID card AR card all registered to Kara all seemingly original now you need to understand that s SBI employees we regularly check for documentation of customers to provide banking services not to mention that we were also charged with artar card registration by the uidai when the project was launched on a large scale a couple of years ago which means that they're quite experienced when it comes to checking the authenticity of such documents so I can safely appeal to what little authority I have obtained over my admittedly short career as a probationary banking officer and say that all of those documents seem to be real not forgeries this woman was carrying original government documents registered to an abandoned and haunted village my head swooned at the thought how what I thought aloud do you see she exclaimed I am not crazy it's real No One Believes Me not even the police they threatened to f a case against me for what I don't know told them I cut off her ramblings you are from an abandoned Village one protected by the archaeological Survey of India I asked in disbelief it's not abandoned she chided him I have family there friends it's just a normal village not abandoned or haunted no what exactly happened to you I asked I I woke up at my sister's house in mckl she replied it's a village that lies to the east of J Salma I nodded H I'm aware of it I don't know how I got there she continued I don't even remember remember going there I went to sleep next to my husband but when I woke up I found myself in a strange bed I screamed and then this woman came running into the bedroom claimed that she was my sister I swear I've never seen that woman in my life you mean you didn't recognize your sister I inquired she furiously shook her head she said I've lived with her all my life she said I never got married never had kids refuses to recognize that I have a family of my own she thinks I've gone mad but I have these documents when I woke up they were just right under my pillow just like they have been all my life how did it happen if I'm just insane those documents could possibly be forged M I answered as Softly As I could not believing myself why would someone in her position possess such high quality forgeries if they were in fact forgeries at all my memories are real my kids she looked at me exasperation etched on her face she stood up pulled up her sorry and exposed her midrift to me well m'am this is entirely inappropriate I spoke hastily look at this look she said angrily jabbing at the stretch marks on her belly does this look Forge too tears began to form in her eyes I carried my children in my own womb no one can tell me they're not real there was a small adventurous part of my soul that was almost wanting to believe this woman's tale Goosebumps began to form on my body as This Woman's conviction pulled me in forcing me to acknowledge her lived reality did you try going back I started to your house she nodded I snuck out of my sister's house and caught a bus she then went silent it was abandoned wasn't it her head bobbed again I don't know where they are any of them I don't know whether they're safe or not please please believe me she begged her voice cracked and she started sobbing I left the room to give her some space and walked out with my empty coffee cup shyam cooworker from earlier found me right as I exited my office you speak to her he asked yeah it's freaky I admitted well it gets crazier he said shaking his head in wonder I checked the Electoral roles the arar database property records with the sub registrar's office her name isn't there in any of the databases light breathed this side of relief n disappointment well this just proves hold on let me finish he said excitedly if you cross check the serial numbers you see that all the data just skips over where the entries for her record should be the databases just jump over those numbers and continue on like nothing happen good God Almighty The Coffee Cup shook in my hands is the boss in yet I asked craning my neck to look at the manager's office yep just came in he replied okay I said and turned around and walked into my boss's office after giving my cup to one of the cleaning staff it could be a clerical error he said when I told him the whole story a clerical error yes he scratched his beard as he muled over this strange situation maybe a tiny settlement near the actual Village got wrong classified as the village itself maybe she's got Dementia or something and has forgotten where her home actually is what about the missing records in the databases I counted some problems with the digitization of data he offered I wasn't convinced by that explanation and a sister who refuses to acknowledge her path people do strange things for inheritance including gaslighting relatives he answered you wouldn't believe the kind of stuff I've seen in my career it's not anything Supernatural he added with a smile on his face don't tell me you believe those stories about the village have to admit it looks weird sir I insisted why don't you check for yourself he asked really I said losing my professionalism and letting my childlike excitement come to the surface well why not I mean if there is some truth to her story we would need to make some major adjustments to our data he explained I'll inform the local police station of course I turned around and started to walk out of his office when he called me wait he said if she's going to accompany you you need to take a woman employee along it's only appropriate well I nodded vigorously and only on the weekend not on working days so I'm sure you wouldn't mind I grinned and excused myself coralia pwell was relieved when I told her that I was willing to come with her and visit her home I saw a flicker of Hope in her eyes when she saw that there was someone willing to be on her side I admit it wasn't entirely convinced by a story that the prospect of finally exploring Kara was too good of an opportunity to pass out when she left my office I pulled out my phone and called my brother asy who quickly answered yo what's up we're going on a trip this weekend I stated cool where he asked I smiled at how quickly he agreed this is why I called him and not SAU cuara I replied I'm sure he could hear the happiness in my voice oh finally he laughed so what happened why now I gave him a quick recap for the day's events he whistled well that is as good of a reason as you can ever get to visit one of the country's most haunted places absolutely oh I I'll pick you up on Saturday morning then he said we're taking my gep I soon said my goodbyes to Ay and said about the task of finding a woman colleague to go along with me for the trip but I didn't have much luck no one wanted to spoil their weekend to go on a goose chase with me I didn't have to worry much about that however because the next morning there were two more strangers waiting for me at the office further adding to this strange turn of events hi I am Ru mea I'm a journalist with the guardian she was young mid to late 20s and had a small circular birth mark on her neck just above her collar bone I took her government issued press ID gave it a quick look and handed it back to her this is my colleague she said pointing to the muscular blonde man sitting next to her cheze Anon czecho he said in a heavily accented voice that gave me a bone crushing handshake i grinned h my grandma was a big fan of him smiled sheepishly so what can I do for you two I asked jovially we hear you're going to kahara along with a woman who claims to be from there Ru answered sweetly um we'd like to come along I raised my eyebrow how did you find out they looked at each other and then Ru spoke up well we've been doing a piece on haunted tourism in India we were actually just at bankra Fort so Gara was next on our list so when we found out there was a woman who claimed to be from me we decided to run with that too oh sounds great but I'd need to check with my boss I said that's taken care of checkov said waving his hands dismissively he was the one who told us about her cool I said enthusiastically I guess I'll see you guys on Saturday morning I blushed as rude to flash me a charming smile now the rest of the week crawl by painfully slowly there were times I would just sit and stare at the clock waiting for time to go faster and get me to Saturday morning I passed whatever free time I had going through various news articles about Kara and even read into local and National History of the concern time period there was a palpable sense of excitement and anxiety in my stomach as I wondered what we would find there well as long as it wasn't too anticlimactic I was good I was still eating my breakfast on Saturday morning when the sound of a persistent high-pitched horn tore through my quiet surroundings I quickly finished the last bits of to my breakfast and ran to the window Astic was sitting on the hood of his Jeep grinning at me are we [ __ ] going or what he shouted at me and then turned to his left good morning Mrs P how are you I picked up my bag and walked down to the Jeep hearing my neighbor screaming at my brother for causing a racket early in the morning Astic grabbed me in a bear hug when he saw me Lifting me up off the ground [ __ ] let go I coughed is that any way to greet your brother he asked mock a fence clear in his voice I packed my bag in the back of his Mahindra th named after the very desert we were about to head out into and took my place beside the driver's seat after bugling our seat belts we were off cutting through the cold December fog and making our way out to our designated meeting spot on the outskirts of Ja Salma near Coal's sister's house our little party was already assembled there COV was drinking tea from a small glass while Ru seemed to be interviewing Calia there were two more people there one was presumably the driver of the taxi our journalist friends had hired and the other was Sundar choha from the archaeological Survey of India in charge of the cuara village hey good morning I gave a general greeting to everyone in the vicinity this is my brother Astin checkov walked towards him and shook his hand I so his knuckles turn white hm you sir last noed I can tell checkov said gruffly so um are we ready to go I asked Ru signaled at me to give her two minutes as she continued to talk to K so I strolled towards Sundar Chan from the ASI this had better be good he complained this is not how I Envision spending my weekend I'm sorry I apologize genuinely I had no idea you'd be dragged into this yeah whatever let's just get this over with before my nuts freeze and fall off I opened my mouth to reply but he was already marching back to his car we're done Ru said right when I turned to look at her she was smiling and I was fighing hard not to blush again well here's to Adventure checkov said lifting his glass of tea like champagne here here I whispered to myself we climbed into our respective cars and our little Convoy set off with the cab carrying Ru kosal and Czech off in the lead followed by our Jeep suab brought up the rear wasn't exactly an ideal time to be traveling thick fog hung in the cold witer air urging us to abandon the road and go back to the safety of our heaters and quilts the sun was hidden behind a layer of dense clouds refusing to come out but we pressed on nothing could dampen my spirits I pulled out my camera and flashlight from my bag and checked they were still working fine I'm hungry htic said there's food in my bag pull it out I reached to the back seat and retrieved his bag there was a pie in there chocolate I gave him a piece took one for myself how is it did you like it he asked after I'd taken a bite it's great I replied so he began you like that pretty little journalist I almost spat out the pipe what he snorted come on one smile and she turns you R than a tomato No I'm just excited about the job sure you are he laughed about [ __ ] time you tried to find someone the asphalt soon gave way to a dirt road as we began to enter the far desert proper the wheels of our cars kicked up the sand which makes with a fog floating in the air forming a strange hypnotic concoction making me extremely drowsy I'd almost fallen asleep when the tires of the car in front of us screeched as the leaders of our Convoy swerved and almost ran off the road what the [ __ ] I swore Astic brought the car to a halt and we quickly walked over to the taxi corelia was crying fearfully as Ru comforted her while it looked like COV was angrily berating the driver what happened Astic asked coralia say she saw something Ru answered so what I questioned she says she's not sure but it was covered in blood oh because you're [ __ ] drunk checkov screamed I turned my head and saw the driver looking guiltily at the ground near his feet only took me a single whiff to recognize a stench of country-made liquor what happened here Sundar joined the conversation well I don't see anything said AR because he surveyed the area nearby with my flashlight I should get you fired cheze off thundered all right let's calm down and talk about what happened I yelled and C everyone's attention the cab driver was drunk and had almost driven off the road when he saw an animal or something in front of him course Alia was adamant it was covered in blood for whatever reason we spent a good 10 minutes searching the surroundings but found nothing I must have been a deer Astic stated looks like it ran off blood kosala said her voice trembling I saw blood Ru tried to comfort her she's just a wacko SAR whispered to me in private this entire trip is a complete waste of my time well it'll be over soon I replied maybe a little too abruptly checkov offered to drive the rest of the way and have the driver sit beside him there's no need for that Astic said as he walked toward us we're already here he pointed backwards I squinted and sure enough there it was Kara Village grew out of the Sandy ground looking as much a part of the scenery as the few parched trees looming around it it was nothing more than a ruin with crumbling brick walls and missing ceilings as if they'd been blasted Away by The Winds of time there was definitely something off about this place was a very unsettling feeling creeped its way into my heart as we entered I felt a thousand eyes watching me but no matter where I looked there was no one but us there is it as good as you imagined it Astic muttered better I whispered so much better it's quite dark isn't it Sund asked softly even with the Folly it's a little too dark for some strange reason none of us dared to raise our voices as if we were all afraid of disturbing something but what I don't know it wasn't exactly a rational feeling here Balia shouted becoming the first one to break the silence we were inadvertently forcing on ourselves I saw her standing in front of one of the larger and more intact buildings this is it this is my home Astic and I looked at each other and party soon walked over towards Calia who had a strange glint in her eyes see she said wildly jestering at the structure this is The Veranda she entered the house through the Gap where once a door had stood over there is the kitchen and there's our bedroom you see you see it is all real there's something very creepy about watching her get so deliriously happy about being in a ruin surrounded by utter desolation with old glint in her eyes she looked frighteningly mad maybe my boss was right she really was suffering from delusion one of us would have to muster up the courage to talk to her though I was contemplating on doing it myself but I never got the chance to because the next second everything went dark when I say dark I mean it looked like night suddenly descended on the village no it would be more accurate to say that it felt like someone had swished off the Sun and sucked up all remnants of light from the world what what the [ __ ] happened suar screamed I can't see luxia Astic shouted where are you right here I couldn't complete my sentence because at that moment my stomach lurched it was like I was on a rapidly descending roller coaster or an elevator in freeall my legs gave out my fell at my knees I heard screams but that sound was drowned out by a sudden pressure in my ears I was reminded of being on an airplane I shut my eyes and rapidly moved my jaw to equalize the pressure which cleared with an almost audible Pop I opened my eyes and saw that it was light again the fog had dissipated and the sun beat down with all its fiery brightness on us but that wasn't the most bizarre thing that happened oh no what just happened I asked gingery rubbing my eyes I blinked and saw that the others too were slowly stumbling to their feet I turned my head and what I saw that shed me to the B making my head feel dizzy the house we were in seemed inhabited like people were still living there unlike the ruin we' just seen clothes hung from a wire stretched across The Veranda there were wooden carts propped up on the wall to my left I saw utensils in the kitchen to my right the walls and ceiling were in good shape not like they'd been just moments ago then I heard shouts coming from the outside sending Shivers running down my spine in complete silence we walked outside the building and saw hundreds of people marching in a rally as hundreds more watched from the sideline it was a political rally with participants carrying the posters of the politician Bon Singh shakawat who served as the chief minister of Rajasthan from 1993 to 1998 becoming completely irrelevant thereafter before dying in 2010 my blood rang cold as the realization sunk in I could see the wheels turning in the eyes of the others and saw that they too were thinking the same we had somehow travel at least 20 years back in time and arrived at a densely populated Village that was supposedly abandoned 200 years ago like me are you sometimes short on time you sometimes feel you're too busy to plan healthy meals or prepare anything from scratch are you really looking after yourself do you find that sometimes you fall back on less Healthy Habits Like caffeine or sugar for your energy rush or 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check it out now part two after the suffocating silence that we'd suffered through in the crumbling ruin of a village the noise of the political rally happening right in front of our eyes was just deafening in its intensity seeing the face of the long dead leader plasted on the cheap post as fling in the blistering hot air was all the confirmation we needed that we had indeed travel back over 20 years in time when the average human mind does not have the requisite tools to deal with such extraordinary changes as quickly as a situation like this demands so it wasn't all that surprising that our first attempt at verbalizing our thoughts when something like this what in the actual [ __ ] whispered someone next to me who I honestly couldn't tell my brain was short circleing at the moment this can't be real I found myself speaking of it didn't feel like I was moving my mouth of my own valtion it's that what they call an outof body experience it's just a dream Just a Dream just a dream that was Sundar I vaguely recognized his nasal voice with its pitch raised even higher than normal due to panic and fear the drummers in front of the rally who were adding a sense of Mirth and celebration to the event were getting closer and closer with the sound of those drums assaulting the ones in my ears sharply bringing me back to the present people danced in a manic stuper next to the drums as firecrackers were set off somewhere near them truly the most surreal thing I'd ever seen in my life excuse me who are you someone behind her shouted loudly we turned around and saw a younger Calia palal looking at us with confusion and suspicion in her eyes oh yeah if we've traveled back in time of course we're going to run into her the wrinkles were gone as if they've been washed away by Youth and she moved with a certain Grace that was missing in her older self our coralia older and grayer couldn't hide her surprise and gasped audibly thank God for asik's quick thinking he quickly got hold of her arm and yanked her off the side outside of the vision of her her younger self we're journalists momam Ru stepped up from somewhere off to my right and quickly flashed her press ID here to cover the election campaign well you can't just enter people's homes without their permission Galia retorted before slamming the rickety wooden door shut in our faces that door wasn't there 10 minutes ago I observed stupidly you mean it won't exist a couple of decades from now I IC remarks visibly shaken kosala next to him or it never existed at all I'm confused so how exactly did this happen I asked anyone have any ideas should we really be discussing this out in the open checkov asked let's go find a quieter place to talk what no Sundar exclaimed what if we missed the chance to go back what if whatever brought us here happens again and we just happen to miss the train we don't know how this time travel Works htic pointed out and how long are you going to wait right at someone's doorstep anyway we decided to assemble underneath a giant banan tree that loomed menacingly over the Village from a relatively secluded Corner a little off to its side was a giant stepwell or bowly that plunged down about 10 or so meters into the ground orate sculpt were carved into all three levels of the stepwell I peaked and saw a group of kids laughing and playing in the tank at the bottom so I began anyone wants to make any guesses as to how we move back in time anyone wants to Doctor Who this [ __ ] well I'm all ears it could be um Wormhole of some sort htic offered well goes dark and sudden pressure on our bodies and bam we're in 1998 we need to tell the authorities Sundar said some scientist somewhere can help us go back to our time I'm sure ah sure Sun sounds like a great idea asked diang oh hello sir could you please send us back 20 years into the future he put his hands up mockingly wait what are you doing why are you locking Us in the Looney Bin Sundar glared at him and maybe if we leave with Miss had chance of going back R added I can see how standing close to that house all the time might be a bad idea but completely abandoning it doesn't sound sensible to me either time traveler I said wistfully damn we're at the precipice of quite possibly the most important scientific discovery in Mankind's history you guys understand how important this could be the whole world could change [ __ ] I have Goosebumps just thinking about it let's not lose sight of the fact that something terrible is going to happen to this Village that'll result in it being abandoned checkov cautioned yes kosa piped in please save my Village from whatever terrible thing is going to happen here has happened Astic corrected her back in the 19th century remember how did that happen Sunda asked and Astic Shrugged in response none of us had any any reasonable answer to that time travel was extremely confusing so what next Ru asked we need to find a place to stay in I replied we also need to keep an eye on Kos shila's house for any possible disruptions in space time and we need to talk to the people in this Village about anything strange Happening Here people disappearing moving back in time last dick added we split up into groups Astic and I decided to go and talk to cil's husband who's the village SAR punch a head of the elected Village government and find us a place to stay in Sundar chose to stay and observe cil's house from a distance while Ru wanted to go out and investigate I'll keep her out of sight checkov pointed at crila it's best if we don't let people see her ohen keep your cell phones hidden don't want people to ask questions about them either we were almost at cil's door when Astic put a hand on my shoulder and stopped me what I asked there's something off about those two Ru and checho he replied I was confused why do you think so did you see them with us when we emerged in this time period I didn't he said softly they came around the corner they weren't in the house with us really you seriously did not notice I had a lot to think about I replied defensively you know like time travel like I said he ignored my comment I don't trust those two they were the only ones who forcibly inserted themselves into this situation right are you saying they brought us back in time I asked skeptically I'm just saying they're hiding something they've adjusted far too easily to this situation just don't trust them blindly okay okay I've seen the way you look at her he continued what I protested oh don't W me I know you feel something for her don't let your dick overrule your head he said accusingly I won't I promise the look he gave me told me he didn't believe me at all all right let's go Raman palal was a rotund man with a bushy mustache and a friendly demeanor that seemed genuine superficially so like you'd expect from most politicians he regaled us with Tales of his youth when he walked with Jay prash Narayan against Indira gan's tyranny while his younger wife served us tea and biscuits we tried hard to ignore young Kos Shila it was too bizarre for us to be in her presence I've always been a huge fan of journalists he said amidst peels of hard laughter brave people truth tellers if there's anything I can do for your folks just let me know I'll be happy to be of any help we'd appreciate it if you could help us find a place to stay while we do our work here I said well you can put up cots in the empty rooms in the panchayat office lots of space up there he offered thank you sir truly Astic said genuinely and Raman palal laughed in response by the way sir how have things been in the village anything odd I asked earning a quick kick to the shin from Astic OD Raman looked confused what do you mean oh um have some kids been telling you strange stories please don't believe them there's nothing wrong with this Village it's just a bunch of stories mtic and I quickly exchanged a look ran palal was too insistent here further raising our hand hackles we said our thanks to him and left his house to find Sundar having an animated conversation with rator Ru and Czech off's Taxi Driver holy [ __ ] Astic muted completely forgotten about him looks like he came with us too and he wasn't anywhere near the palal residence was he I thought this would have pretty much destroyed our theory of a localized Wormhole but it didn't we learned that he was sitting in his car when he suddenly started feeling scared like someone was stalking him from the Shadows so he decided to follow us and ask us if we needed water or something as he entered the village he heard our voices then lost his vision when he came to he found himself smack in the middle of the political rally one looked at the protesters and he understood things were terribly wrong but the actual truth wasn't something he could even have imagined now he was hellbent on leaving the village and heading towards his home please sir he begged with his hands folded and tears running down his face if it is true that we are back in time you have to let me leave my wife and kids might still be alive I can protect them or at least warn them he told us that in early 2009 he'd taken his family to harida for a pilgrimage the bus they were in was traversing the mountainous roads of the Himalayan Foothills when it went off a cliff he was the only one from his family who'd survived and found Refuge Refuge from his pain and grief in the bucket seeing that he had a chance to change his past a l of fire in his belly and we tried to convince him it was a bad idea to act rashly but he wasn't going to listen we finally got into a gree to wait for the group to get together and to then make his decision after a round of thorough discussion the panchayat as The Institute of rural self-government is known in India had an office bang in the middle of the village a couple of hundred meters south of the Bantry where we'd held our meeting after first coming here time had not been kind to this building for where we came from there wasn't even a trace of it left we put our bags in the empty rooms above arranged our cots turning the rooms into two makeshift bedrooms Ru COV and koshila soon joined us there so um you find anything out I asked she nodded a kid said a friend of his was attacked by a bear when they were out playing Cricket at dusk a bear I asked in the desert yeah she answered it was dragged off the kid and disappeared into the darkness but that's not even the strange part when his friend came back to the village with a tattered body and bloody piece of his friend shirt he found him in front of the school walking back to his home not a scratch on his body good God SAR whispered the kid who was attacked says something similar that it wasn't him but his friend who was attacked and he found him near their school he too had a tattered and bloody piece of his friend's shirt she said huh asked it Grant I'm going to get a [ __ ] headache we need to get out of here something's not right here Sundar said softly and I could see his body tremble in fear I could somewhat empathize with that sentiment we need to be very careful with what we do from now on checkov said who knows what we might end up triggering we are already messing with time simply by being here and uh on that wonderful note our friend RoR here has something to say I said and then told them about what he wanted to do that's a terrible idea Ru said I agree Sundar added I vote no me too checkov chimed in well that's great and all but it's not a democracy I said and neither is he our slave he can make his own decisions we can only advise him but it's too dangerous Ru protested Andy understands that risk atic replied he's not a child he should be allowed to try and save his family what if we end up putting our own lives at risk SAR argued didn't you say we know nothing about time travel why should we let him do something this Reckless I feel like we're missing something obvious here Ru said what if he goes and changes the timeline so drastically that our reality just doesn't exist anymore and we're trapped here permanently that's possible I replied but it's also possible that time travel has nothing to do with how timelines are structured we just don't know enough and ambiguity is surely not enough to confine a man against his own will is it the argument continued for a while with rutu and Checker of getting more and more agitated but they ultimately relented the more Disturbed they seemingly got the more looks Astic shot at me I ignored him and focused on the argument at hand RoR was in no mood to listen to anything his mind had thoughts of his family swirling around in it and nothing else looking at him I was reminded of that old tale of Arin who was only fixated on the eyes of his Target and saw nothing else in the world Artic and I decided to accompany RoR to the edge of the village when he decided to leave as soon as he could I'll walk to the nearest bus stop from here he said his eyes wet and a wide smile on his face thank you for sticking up for me thank you so much you're welcome as di smil back now go save your family I will I'm sorry again for almost crashing the car it was only because I lost them that I picked up alcohol never again he swore and with that he turned around and walked out into the sunset towards his happy ending or that is what I wished it happened but it didn't the world is a strange way of [ __ ] us over and making us doubt our decisions in the most hideous manner possible I would come to regret letting RoR walk away without voicing my concerns adequately RoR never got to save his family he never got to understand how or why he ended up where he did because the moment he stepped foot outside the boundary of the village he burst into flames part three my feet moved to their own accord and I began running towards reor before I even realized Iz what I was doing the dazzling orange Flames that licked at his skin the crackling of his bones and the stench of his moldering flesh hypnotized me pulling me in like the P Piper well I would have made my own personal contribution to that grotesque display if it hadn't been for atic who pulled me back right to the edge of the wooden fence stop he screamed into my ears and he h me back stop what are you doing do you want to die I stopped roughly pulled myself free and then put my hands on my knees and threw up on the ground how fault it's all our fault I muttered after I was a little calmer we shouldn't have let him go we didn't know Astic replied as he squatted on the ground next to me and rubbed my back how could we none of this makes any sense we're groping around in the dark here I will myself to look at RoR again maybe to confirm that but what had happened was real and not just an hallucination I wish I hadn't there was no trace of him not even a single Fleck of bone or Ash was visible it was like it vanished Into Thin Air do you remember how nervous those two were when we suggested letting RoR walk htic asked almost like they knew this would happen really I said I Gaz that he would bring this up you want to do this now I don't understand why you refuse to acknowledge basic facts here he threw his hands in the air in frustration it's your gut feeling we're talking about here not objective facts their nervousness might have nothing to do with what just happened here man I argued everything is [ __ ] enough as it is not wanting to alter the timeline is a reasonable position to take I don't want to accuse them of having nefarious designs when when we're all dealing with this [ __ ] here there's no harm in being cautious there's a big difference between being cautious and being paranoid Lua [ __ ] I sighed okay what do you want to do for stardus we don't tell anyone what happened here he replied that's way too [ __ ] dangerous I protested what happens if one of them tries to leave this place we'll stop them Astic remarked I want to watch how Miss reporter and Boris act when we tell them he made it out safely and Sundar and Calia don't they deserve to know too I asked we'll keep an eye on them and tell them later if we must for now please keep your mouth shut he said I reluctantly agreed and after taking one final look at the spot where a Thor had burst into flames I followed him back towards the first floor of the panchayat office that we were using as our lodgings the smell of freshly cooked food wafted down the wooden staircase mixing with the smell of charred flesh already swirling around in my nostrils making my stomach churn I was not in the mood for lunch at all there's a Dar near the Village School Sundar said as he offered me food wrapped in a plastic bag lunch is from there not hungry I muttered so he's gone checkov asked yep Astic answered and I looked at him checkov grunted in response so what do you guys want to do after lunch I asked I'd like to go out and talk to more people Ru replied keep investigating till we find out more I'm going to sleep Sundar said maybe I'll wake up from this horrible nightmare I'm thinking of exploring the records here at the panch office asked exad from beside them maybe we'll find out something with the local history that will give us a clue will I still be made to stay here kosala asked please cooperate mom Ru said we're still in unknown territory there was an unspoken but almost tangible tension in the group as we silently ate lunch Astic doubted rutu and checkov and they sensed that but didn't say anything add to that the stress of the situation and with Thor's death that weighed heavily on me it wasn't a pleasant experience in any way afterwards Asik and I went down to the paned office where there were already a couple of people present going about their jobs without a care in the world the sense of normaly being exhibited here in the midst of the insanity that we were going through seemed incredibly jarring I opened my mouth to ask Astic what exactly he wanted to do but before I could say anything he pulled me off to the side I want you to follow Ru he said don't be spotted keep a safe distance but tail her find out where she's going and what she's doing okay you know this is a job that you're suited for I pointed out what will you be doing in the meantime I'm going to distract check off and go through their luggage he answered plainly holy [ __ ] dude that's a massive breach of trust I said I hope you know what you're doing on the contrary it may help us build trust if I find nothing suspicious I wasn't entirely convinced by this line of reasoning but exploring all possible options wasn't exactly a bad idea so when I heard ru's light footsteps on the rickety stairs I waited and quietly slipped out of the office and followed her out into the village hoping that Artic suspicions were ill founded she was walking with a certain shity as if she knew exactly where she was going that made it easy to follow her since getting spotted would have been much easier had she been Meandering around without a goal in mind brick houses gave way to Temporary modern wooden structures that not ready to collapse under their own weights and the dirt road got narrower and more unkempt as we entered the poorer sections of the village I watched surreptitiously as she knocked on a tiny dirt covered Shanty with a tin roof and entered after someone welcomed her what in the world I took a couple of steps back and grabb the first person I found excuse me I said who lives over there I asked jerking my thumb at the house Ru had just walked into oh there don't go there sir the Shamar live there he replied in a matter of fact way my mouth dropped open at the Casual usage of such a castest slur but I quickly composed myself and thanked him for the help of course I was in 1998 in a backwood rural area so it shouldn't be a surprise that I was running into castism and anti-dalit hatred was still a shock to see someone express it in such a blatant manner but I guess that's just the result of the differences in our respective social environment oh he added I would especially avoid going to that house sir some of the villagers here believe that the woman who lives there is a witch a witch I asked disbelief clear in my voice yes she hurts people for fun I nodded and walked away intellectually I'd always been aware of lower casts being targeted with accusations of Witchcraft and black magic and then harass for it but to experience it firsthand was another matter entirely I du behind a motorcycle parked in front of a house that was situated on the invisible boundary separating the localities of Upper and Lower cast people of the village and began waiting for Ru to come out it was quiet for a while before she came out looking for razzled I was so close to her that I could see that circular birth mark on her neck and scampered off to a safer distance my decision was proven right when she walked past inches from where I'd been hiding after she was but a small dot in the distance I decided to go to the H myself yes a middle-aged woman greeted me when I knocked on the flimsy wooden door what can I do for you hi I'm a friend of the woman who just came by I said ah that she smiled gently are you here to convince us to leave this Village too so that's what she was doing H troubling I already told her this is our home we can't leave no we won't leave she continued that's not what I'm here for M I said thinking quickly I'm actually writing a report on how doets are treated in rural areas would you like to talk about what can I say that educated people like you don't already know she said sadly they don't let us draw water from the village well we have to walk 6 kilometers every day to get water to drink they beat us if we so much has let our shadows touch theirs I wouldn't wish our lives on our worst enemies but where else should we go no place in this world is safe enough for people like us especially not places we can afford to go that that's unfortunate mom I said softly I wish things were different maybe one day they will be she smiled sadly at that who's that Ma came a squeaky little voice from the back seconds later a short mousy little girl emerged from the back and wrapped herself around the woman's legs and you might be I asked she didn't reply just smiled shily that's my daughter the woman said patting her child on head and what is your name young lady I asked politely tell him your name the woman proded Ru the child said my name is Ru magal I noticed the circular birth mark on her neck and my knees almost gave out I was pretty much in a trance after that I don't remember walking away from that house though I believe I did excuse myself politely I don't remember any of my journey back to the paned office the next thing I do remember is Astic gently shaking my shoulders hey he looked worried are you okay yeah I said yeah I'm okay you find anything you bet your ass I did he replied spare Max for a pistol in Czech off's back holy [ __ ] I whispered he's carrying a [ __ ] gun isn't that something he continued why would a journalist from Russia be carrying a weapon all the way here into India on a work trip to a haunted village almost like he knew things were going to get a little crazy you were [ __ ] right those two are definitely hiding something I said a welcome to the light brother so what did you find I told him about my running with ru's younger s Artic took it much better than I had at the very least those two knew we were going to be sent back in time it's the most reasonable assumption to make he said after he'd taken a little time to digest what I told him I have some other theories as well like what I asked is possible that she knows what happened to this Village he answered she may even have lived through it but unlike kosala actually knows what happened and he's trying to stop it or change it to her wishes there's also a chance that she trigger the time travel in the first place the lad still sounds a little too farfetched to me I said well it is just a theory I'm entertaining all possibilities at the moment he replied I rubbed my forehead it wasn't suited for this Cloak and Dagger stuff so what do you want to do next I asked you want to confront them with what we know defin definitely not he exclaimed that would make them cautious and all the progress we've made would be lost no we keep our secrets for now the rest of the day passed by without any excitement we were starting to get a little used to our reality isn't it strange how the human mind learns to adapt to such extreme changes it was just bizarre how normal it felt having dinner with the group at the daha while chatting about our lives like it was an everyday occurrence that we travel backwards in time if it wasn't for the tension between checkov and atic nothing would have felt out of the ordinary at all after dinner I chose to walk alone outside while the others retired to our makeshift bedrooms I was playing with a street dog when I noticed Ru sitting on the roof of the panchayat office her legs dangling from the ledge I waved at her and she smiled at me her Perfect Teeth glittering in the gentle Moonlight I made my way upstairs and found a staring off into the distance hair fluttering with a soft evening Breeze hey I said and sat down next to her hi she whispered and quickly wiped tears off her eyes are you okay I asked yeah she laughed gently I was just well I met a daret family today I nodded reminded me of my own childhood I'm a daret too you know she continued continued it's horrible how they're being treated how we're still being treated just inhumane it really is I'm sorry for being a mess it's just it brought back so much trauma I don't really cry like this you know she said it's okay there's nothing to apologize for I insisted thanks can we talk about something else she asked please sure did I tell you about the time a got caught bursting firecrackers in our principal's office I asked with a smile on my face and I regaled her with stories from my childhood the exploits of us three brothers at St Agnes boarding school never fails to get people laughing and she wasn't any different in turn she told me about her journey from India to a university in England the conversation flowed so easily between us I just felt so connected to her which is why it was all the more heartbreaking that she was hiding so much from me we both felt relaxed about ending our conversation but when it got too chilly we decided to go back inside and sleep there had been way too much activity for one day I fell asleep the moment my head touched the pillar it was the cold that woke me up this bone chilling feeling that creeped up my back what the [ __ ] why was it so cold I rubbed my eyes open blink rapidly to clear my vision and saw that the window was open and a cold and harsh Breeze was assaulting our little Safe Haven in way I distinctly remember closing that window who opened it maybe Astic was feeling too hot or something I reasoned and almost got up to close it when I noticed another presence besides the two of us in the room I froze who was it it felt like there was someone else here next to the foot of my cck I brought my legs close to me and looked around the room when I heard something shuffling around I picked up my phone turned on its flashlight and swep it gently around the room and that's when I noticed her it was coralia she was crawling on her hands and knees her eyes glinted maliciously as the light from my phone fell on her and she opened her mouth to scream her facial muscles tightening in preparation for a sound that never came Shivers ran down my spine at this strange sight what the [ __ ] was she doing here I wanted to scream to throw something at her but just s there looking at her in terrified silence her face Frozen in that frightening Rus she cocked her head to the left and continued to stare at me her eyes not blinking even once she then put her hand on my cot and began to pull herself up my body still refused to cooperate it had completely shut down in fear the glass of the open window shattered with a loud crash breaking the spell what the Astic muttered half asleep what was that I screeched making kosala snarl in Anger what the Astic shouted as he saw the seemingly possessed woman he jumped and kicked her in the head she escaped skittering away like a little spider at an unnaturally Fast Pace what just happened I whispered he heard Sundar screaming in fear elastic darted outside to check on him I followed him my leg still shaking in fear she's crawling on the walls Sundar exclaimed his voice trembling as he pointed towards the stairs Astic dashed downstairs as the others came out of their rooms what happened checkov asked groggily Ru came out next with a blanket wrapped around her where's kosia I told them what had happened that doesn't make began check off before Astic came running back upstairs guys he panted we might have a problem on our hands he led us to the window and had us look outside a huge crowd was gathering some distance away with more and more people coming out of their homes like little ants and heading in that direction do you think coralia is there I asked if she is it could be a major cluster [ __ ] we quickly put on our jackets and headed outside joining the people moving towards the crown round what will we do if she's been caught doing something asked a still shake and Sundar what is actually wrong with her shut the [ __ ] up Astic admonished him not here not now someone will be listening I heard people whispering to each other their voic is low and serious something big must have happened I grabbed a middle-aged man close to me what happened I asked someone died they say he replied who I asked he Shrugged I looked around at our surroundings and started to get more and more scared as I realized we were heading towards ru's family's house on the outskirts of the village I breathed a sigh of relief when after a couple of minutes we passed that house by and continued to head outwards before coming to a stop who killed him I heard dozens of variations of this sentence as I push my way to the front of the crowd nothing could have prepared me for what I saw there lying on his back his head facing the sky and bits of pieces of brain matter leaking out was the corpse of Sundar cha it was an extremely frightening sight I imagine it must have been worse for Sundar who stood staring at his own corpse with his mouth hanging wide open all four look someone screamed it's him he's alive I could feel the people around me staring at us their Gaz is hot enough to sear our very skins the muttering around us began to grow in intensity till it started sounding like a swarm of angry bees Sundar was oblivious to all of this he was that fixated on hit's corpse lying on the ground in front of it we need to get out of here Astic whispered but like right now it'll only make us look more suspicious I shot back more than this he asked angrily it's black magic another voice shouted we're all going to be killed hey wait I raised my voice we're just as shocked as you are okay Sundar here was with us the whole night I could feel the tension diffuse a little but not enough this crowd was still extremely riled up one wrong move and they'll bring out their pitchforks and torches please everyone calm down checkov said hey maybe the Foreigner did it this time I saw who shouted it was a young woman ear 20s maybe you need to be silent Anton Ru scolded at him her voice cracking you'll only make this worse for us exactly give a frightened and angry mob an outsider to Vain that anger at and they'll happily go all Savage but why was rutu on the verge of a full-blown panic attack Astic stepped forward and covered Dead sundar's face with his jacket while I put my hands on the shoulders of the Sundar standing next to me come on let's go I said gently we should call the punchard to discuss this said an old woman from somewhere behind me what a need we all know who did it someone stepped into the Sur Circle everyone had formed around the body it's the witch it has to be it was the same person I'd running to while tailing Ru the man who had used the castest slur I warned you not to go to her he said looking oddly smart no no no Ru said looking like she was in a days not like this not today it wasn't supposed to be today swe began to pour down her brow and she started trembling chov caught hold of her when it looked like she was about to faint as more and more voices started baing for the blood of her mother that woman will ruin us all we need to stop it now kill her burn her where is she bring her out I felt the mob's anger shift it was now being fully directed at ru's mother they began peeling away from the spot and started making their way towards ru's house who was was sobbing openly at this point started to Da on me that she'd known all along that this would happen that's why she tried to warn her parents to leave the village how that tied in with the largest story of The Village's ultimate fate was still Beyond we have to do something I said they're going to kill her there's no stopping that mob now Astic replied we need to leave sundai shouted enough is enough we need to call the authorities things are way too [ __ ] dangerous we're in over our heads we can't I shouted back gritting my teeth can't do that why not Sundar screamed frustration seeping into his voice because we'll die if we try to leave Artic explained burst into flames till there's nothing left of this the minute we step outside the boundary of the village what Sundar looked AUST how do you RoR he died didn't he but but why didn't you say anything because of these two Asik said pointing at COV and Ru they knew what would happen if you tried leaving the village but they never tried stopping us and a Good Man is dead because of some [ __ ] secret they wanted to keep we have our reasons COV replied with his head hanging low as he tried to console an increasingly distraught ru the Screech filled with the utmost anguish tore through the night and Ru sobbed harder as the vicious cheering of the villagers followed please not today oh god what the [ __ ] is happening here tonight SAR exclaimed Ru Ru checkov said gently shaking her we need to move we can't stay here any longer things are out of our control now we need to go wait wait a second Astic said in an accusatory tone you even know how to leave this Village oh [ __ ] hell Astic please I pleaded it's not really the time something horrific was going to happen to ru's family now was not the time to be picking a fight with her we know how to get out of this situation yes jov replied but you need to trust us trust you really SAR spat bitterly you really haven't as it began again before I cut him off wait I said look the mob was now making its way back to us dragging two people along a man and a woman I squinted and realized that the woman was ru's Mother the man must have been her father their clothes had been shredded to pieces and they were covered in blood no Ru sobbed we need to leave I said my heart pounding in my chest do your thing shov take us the [ __ ] out he nodded and began to forcibly drag Ru away with her begging and pleading incomprehensibly Sundar followed them and I pulled Astic aside what he asked we need to make sure she's safe I replied who Ru I said her younger self we can't let the mob get to her what he looked confused but she's right there with Czech off how can she grow out to be an adult if she gets lynched by the mob here the timeline is changing I spoke quickly Ru herself said that the lynching wasn't supposed to happen tonight so what if her younger self gets killed here and what if checkov needs her to help us get out of here but won't be able to do it anymore when she vanishes into thin air because she was killed decades ago oh [ __ ] you're right he admitted running his fingers through his hair you really should have just asked him while he was still here I was still thinking about it hurry up the mob didn't come all the way back to us they stopped about halfway through near an old and niled tree they tied ru's mother to the tree and began raining down sticks and stones on her father when he tried to protest I averted my eyes don't look don't look just don't look we ran away from there making our way around the mop and towards ru's house I soon heard the cracking of wood tried my hardest to drown out the screaming to ignore what the implications were but I couldn't ignore the smell this powerful Soul crushing stench I had become intimate with just this morning I could feel tears running down my face but I wiped them off and tried to focus on the mission at hand she was definitely not with the mob asked said when we came close to her house so where is she let's find out I replied as I kicked the door open the house was empty [ __ ] asked di swore maybe she really was with the mob should we try and go back to them yeah we have to try something I said and we both sped up to jog as we exited the house hey a voice came from somewhere to our left I turned my head and saw it was was Raman palal The Village Sage how did you two get here so fast he asked I was just with you what in the world Astic and I looked at each other in utter confusion um what are you talking about Sir Astic asked well it's I didn't hear what he was saying because the next moment the world went dark and I lost all sense of sight [ __ ] Astic gred it's happening again sure enough I felt my stomach lurch like I was falling through the air and an intense pressure built up on my eard drums my knees began to tremble and it fell hard on my ass then there was a loud pop my vision began to clear again I got up on my elbows and looked around me Artic was a couple of feet off to my side clutching his stomach the houses around me look different but at first I didn't get how and then it hit me they weren't old and broken down in the sense I'd expected them to be since I'd assumed checkov had brought us back to December 2019 but no these houses were all made of mud and Bricks not a single building around me looked like it had a hint of cement in it atic I whispered ay what he shouted oh [ __ ] I breathed keep your voice down I think we've come to the 19th century and I believe we're about to find out what exactly happened to this place what do you mean he asked before looking around at the tiny Huts all around us with crack walls and that RS holy [ __ ] exactly I helped him get up and we both looked at our surroundings wasn't checkov supposed to take us back I asked well are these exact words that he'll take us out of here he didn't say he'll take us back to the present he replied so um what do you think happened to this Village he asked sh I whispered do you hear that there was a faint growling sound coming from the distance this deep animalistic rumbling coming from deep within the chest of something I looked in the direction of the source of the sound and sure enough I spotted a large dark shape stalking us is that a bear Astic asked in astonishment let's not wait around for it I said and began running away I could feel the animals heavy Paws pound the Sandy ground as it started gaining on us we ran for our lives past the place where I had hid and spied on Ru past where the Village School would one day stand and towards the spot that the panch office was going to be built upon to outer astonishment there were people lying in the streets all around us standing in disciplined silence and watching us with this identical menacing smile on their faces I saw black tar-like tears running down their faces as they began to clap as if they were applauding this performance that we the bear was putting up here I saw checkov in front of me waving like a madman I could almost feel that infernal Bear's hot breath on my neck and I ran with even more power as I ran into the house that checkov was in who slammed the door shut as soon as Astic was inside the wooden door Shu wildly on its hinges as the bear crashed into it but mercifully it held on and just like that the bear retreated for some unfathomable reason I put my hands on my knees and began panting and weezing someone placed a meaty pore on my back and helped me breathe I thanked checkov as he proceeded to give me a bottle of water everyone was here in this little H Su I was crouched near the wall on the back while Ru was sitting off to the side deep in thought and in the middle sat kosal the one who traveled back with us with her hands and feet tied snarling rapidly at us as Black Tears gush down her cheeks you know Astic said venomously some answers right now will be really [ __ ] nice is she okay I asked czecho jerking my chin towards Ru yeah she's the cause for this he replied explain I said as you guys saw in 1988 her mother was falsely accused of Witchcraft and burnt alive while her father was beaten to death he said this traumatized young Ru who with the help of kosala palal and her husband Raman palok survived the incident she left the village and grew up in jaur but she never forgot how she'd been treated by the villagers how her family was butchered that night he continued she vowed Vengeance just didn't know how she'd achieve it the chance presented itself when she went to England for her studies and discovered actual witchcraft while trekking in the country side she learned the very same craft that her mother had been falsely accused of dear God I said what did she do she summoned something checkov replied we're not entirely sure what but that thing fed off her hatred and grew immensely powerful and wiped out the village to S her anger and its own loss for violence but The Village's famously abandoned historical sites how Astic asked it's just a theory but I think that it sent the Villages from 2009 when it was summoned back to the 19th century where they were killed by the then inhabitants of the village who had been possessed by the millions of the demon that reedu summoned they are the ones we just saw outside checkov answered demons good God Astic M she's the one responsible for all of this Sundar whispered angrily but how did we come back in time I asked ignoring his b the demon is bound to Ru she can use some of its powers too just like it grows Stronger by being attached to her COV explained attached to her I asked not physically he replied quickly oh [ __ ] leeches SAR SP so why did she bring us here asked asked she didn't shov answered the demon did he wants to wipe us off along with the rest of the village tie up the Loose Ends Loose Ends what do a demon this powerful have to be afraid of I wonder there are predators for every Hunter the Russian Orthodox Church was aware that a very powerful demon had crossed over to our side his Holiness the patriarch of Moscow and all Rus himself deputed me to investigate the matter czecho replied so you're a [ __ ] priest does that mean you can I was cut off by the sound of a loud bone rattling a hall what the [ __ ] was that Sund asked I peaked out of the window and saw something that was so terrifying it froze the blood in my veins all the people of the village the 19th century inhabitants that is who had presumably killed the ones we've been living with already were lined up in front of our heart hundreds of them all looking at us and smiling in front of them was a figure this tall naked and hairy man riding a freaking bear in one hand he was carrying just the longest horn I'd ever seen and there was a snake wrapped around the other arm he was wearing a lion's head like a mask he cracked the snake like a whip against the Bear's hide who roared in Rage making me Shake in my boots it's him shov whispered the one responsible for this can you stop him can you [ __ ] stop him Sundar cried pathetically not until I know his name he replied I need to force the demon possessing coralia to tell me his name while Ru works on a spell to get us out of here what do you need I asked time I need some time both of us do he answered I looked back at the monster outside this towering fearsome Creature From Hell and quickly averted my eyes I can't even look at this thing you want us to buy time from him God save us though I didn't think he was listening not when this thing was there part five you really expect us to hold off a [ __ ] Army of demons I shouted louder than I should have it'll only be for a short while until I can find out their master's name and Ru can take us out of here shov replied I looked at Ru who was sitting with her eyes closed mumbling under her breath if she summoned it how is it that she doesn't know its name Astic asked it doesn't work like that you don't get to choose who comes across the process is jakov began but I cut him off enough stop wasting time focus on the task at hand I ran to the door room put all my weight against it not that it would stop that infernal monster as it join me and we both braced ourselves for the impact to come but it never did instead we heard the pitiful cries of a man what in the world HK asked as they pee through the tiny G between the wooden slats of the door I saw Raman pwal looking about two decades older than the last time I'd seen him less than half an hour ago he was being torn apart by the Bear in a leisurely manner the demon at top it roared in Elation as the SAR Punch's entrails freed themselves from their bony prison he putting on a show I whispered for ru's sake what is it that you're holding in your hand I heard ask IC ask I glanced in his Direction and saw him looking at Sund that's when I heard the footsteps of the bear drawing closer I could feel the sand shift and sink as the Monstrous Beast leisurely walked towards us before letting off a blood curling Roar having had its fill of torturing Raman it was now coming to kill us it's just alcohol Sundar replied give me that Astic said and trotted over and snatched the bottle from him I felt warm and stale air wash over my arms before I heard this rough almost gutal sound of the bear breathing as it pushed its nose against the door Lua Astic said calmly open the door when I tell you what I said fear clutching at my heart as I grabbed the door handle so hard my Knuckles started to turn white are you crazy I'll start off with the prayer to St Michael I heard checkov say before he began reciting something in Latin prin mang def just [ __ ] trust me okay Astic said as he tore off a piece of his shirt and stuffed it down the bottle oh God oh God oh God Sundar whimpered the bear slammed against the door and I almost lost my balance dust fell off the door and entered my windpipe making me cough I quickly composed myself and pushed against the door as the bear shuffled around in the sand and crashed into it again making my bones rattle are you [ __ ] ready yet I yelled at Astic tell me the name of your master czecho yelled as Calia began screaming in pain almost husk replied as he set the cloth on fire using his lighter the bear slammed into the door again tearing it off its hinges and sending me flying backwards its dark silhouette began to slowly enter the room with the bear softly growling each step of the way his name checkov yelled as Artic tossed the molotov cocktail at the Demonic bear the glass shattered and the flame spread all over the infernal Beast almost instantly before dying just as quickly but the damage had been done as the bear screamed and stumbled and fell backwards taking its Master down with it poran kosala screamed in a low pitched gutal voice before her head exploded spraying blood and brain matter on everyone in the room making Sundar whale like a banshee my hand throbbed and it felt like I'd fractured something I pushed the door off me and slow slowly got back on my feet nashing my teeth together to fight through the pain a high pitched almost hawk-like Screech tore through the air as I saw the demon standing on the doorway fists clenched in Rage I covered my ears to protect myself from the pain as I momentarily lost my hearing this is it this is how we die ripped apart by a [ __ ] biblical monster in a village in rajastan bran the hairy demon wearing the head of a lion stepped foot inside the HOV and was immediately slammed into by Czech off and both of them went tumbling outside a tiny flicker of Hope sprang up within me could we go toe-to-toe with this Beast that flame was extinguished just as quickly as it had risen as puron struck checkov once knocking the Daylights out of the muscular Russian the demon then walked over to him put his foot on the Russian's right leg and lifted his left leg with both hands Bron then looked at us both Astic and I who stood Frozen in terrified silence as he cocked his head to the right as if he was taunting us and then began to pull checkov screamed this inhuman anguish filled sound that no one should ever have to listen to in their lives as the demon slowly but firmly began to rip him into two two pieces from the groin up to his head his clothes tore first then his flesh then we even heard his bone snap into pieces as the demon murdered him in the most brutal fashion imaginable before screeching to celebrate its Victory and then there was silence complete silence that stabbed at our very Souls descended over our surroundings as we waited for our impending deaths Darkness took Mercy on us and embraced our cowering selves I heard the demon scream once again but it was distant now and we felt safe for the first time since this nightmare had started my stomach lurched and then there was a pressure on my eardrums which cleared painfully but I thank this pain with everything I had for this suffering seemed like Bliss in comparison to what Czech off had gone through and then there was light I looked up at the bright moonlit sky and saw the Stars naughtily shimmering at me I coughed rolled over onto my side and looked at the others where are we asked dick whispered scratch that when are we Ru hopped over to me and helped us get up and I saw Sundar off to the side dry heaving on the cold sand 1998 she replied softly I'll need to do this again to take us back to 2009 19 it's your fault Sundar spat angrily you [ __ ] none of this would have happened if it wasn't for you she's also the one who's going to get us out of here I retorted so cool it he's not wrong Astic grunted as he got up on his feet she forced us into this situation but you're right Sund needs to [ __ ] chill I'm sorry she started to cry I never wanted any of this I thought that I would come back and save my parents so that none of this would have happened no one would have to die but I just ended up getting even more people killed she buried her head in my chest and wept I consoled her awkwardly as Astic rolled his eyes so what night is this anyway Astic asked is it the nights your parents were killed she nodded as she wiped her eyes it's the the one night that has influenced my mind the most easy to concentrate on it before the lynching or after he questioned before she answered always before that means her younger self is still here and in potential danger of being murdered by the mo I deducted yeah asked di side we need to make sure she survives while Ru you need to get started on sending us back to the present and the demon Sund asked what about him we just going to let him get away checkov was the only one here who was trying to handle that thing and he was ripped into two pieces Astic answered exasperation clear in his voice you want to [ __ ] with that thing and be my guest I'm going to be as far away from it as I can get keep your voices down I cautioned we are near the panat office our pelves are sleeping right upstairs let's not add more chaos to this situation by waking them up we decided to split up there R went into the punch office building and hid in a dark corner and began working on getting us out of there while the three of us walked out to keep an eye on her younger self to make sure she survives the events of the night do you think we can do what she can I asked save her family from the mob focus on ensuring that her younger self makes it out of this alive that's it HK said don't let your little infatuation get the better of you I'm not I said defensively oh look at you man he said we just saw a man get split into two his blood is still freaking warm on our clothes and you're still obsessed with this girl you don't actually trust her do you Sundar asked his eyes wide what if she's working with the demon and only brought us here to feed us to it you saw how distraught she is I exclaimed why didn't she send us back to the present why here he asked his expression turning more and more manic I don't [ __ ] trust her Sundar Budd you okay htic asked I looked at him alarmed what happens if she doesn't survive tonight Sundar whispered rapidly if she doesn't grow up then she doesn't summon a demon at all we don't get sent back in time wake up peacefully somewhere in the present or a [ __ ] black hole opens up and consumes us for causing a godamn paradox I replied you need to get a hold of yourself Sundar HK said we can't afford to fight amongst ourselves are you sure you're going to be okay what's that Sunda asked pointing at something behind us with fear in his eyes I turned around and saw the punchi at office the one we just come out of glowing gently under the soft Moonlight beautiful sight sure but it was the window on the first floor that Drew my attention near it was a humanoid figure latched onto the walls like a terrifying spider crawling over to the window next to it it's karia Astic whispered she's going to enter our room and scare the [ __ ] out of you ah yes I remember that I was too scared to even move and I knew that she would have killed me if the glass window hadn't magically shattered oh so that's how it happened Astic whistled as he bent over picked up a stone and threw it upstairs breaking our room's glass window I heard movement upstairs and knew that our past CS were about to wake up damn I whispered my voice full of awe so [ __ ] weird so I chose this moment to Scurry off it's footsteps pounded the sand as he ran with all his might towards ru's hands my brain made the connection almost instantly like a puzzle piece clicking into its correct position and I began sprinting after him he's going to kill young Ru Astic must have made that deduction as well because he was right on my heels as we almost kept pace with Sundar who ran like his life depended on it we ran through the narrow dirt and garbage riddled streets to the strange Village that we become so intimately familiar with as we tried to stop this man from killing our one hope of getting out of here sundar's mind had snapped under the weight of all the insanity it had witnessed this night and he had stopped thinking rationally he was lashing out like a cornered animal trying to predict itself in any way it could think of in this mic State making him extremely dangerous and a major threat to our survival we knew we had to stop him however we could good he ran past the Village School into the locality inhabited by the lower casts of the village and even past ru's house once he realized we could catch up with him only stopping once we'd cross the tree that ru's mother was tied to and then set on fire he quickly picked up a rock and swung his hand around wildly threatened to use the stone as a weapon to bludgeon us to our deaths stop Sundar I yelled for the love of God please stop you're working with her aren't you he asked his eyes darting around rapidly you're going to feed me to that Demon I've seen you talking to her when you think no one is looking at you you're going to sacrifice me just like RoR that's not right Sundar Astic spoke trying to keep his voice calm that's not what happened we only hid rora's death because we didn't trust those two you expect me to believe that you could easily have told me what happened to him but you didn't you might think I'm stupid but I'm not you're working for that Shamar [ __ ] that's not right Astic said don't [ __ ] use that word I shouted control yourself luxa Astic told me it is what she is a [ __ ] Shamar [ __ ] he spaned red hot Fury erupted from within me and I charged him slamming my shoulder onto his gut and taking him down to the ground I felt a sharp pain on my back as he began slamming the stone onto it Astic joined the fry trying to help me restrain him as the two of us rolled around on the floor wildly struggling to get control over the other he bit my ear and I screamed in pain and that's when Astic caught hold of his hand and put his legs onto it to get him to drop the stone but I wasn't aware of it anger had taken over every other thought of in my brain as I took his head in my hands lifted it with all my might and smashed it onto the rocky ground below him and again and again and again until blood and brain matter began to leak out of his head lastic slammed into me and pushed me off him but it was too late sundar's eyes had rolled back into his skull and his tongue hung Loosely from his mouth as a lifeless corpse was all that was left of him I cried tears of anger frustration and despair as I realized I just killed a man it's okay Astic whispered patting me on the back it's okay it's okay I killed him I cried I killed him yes yes you did he said but it was in self-defense no it wasn't I shook my head furiously I murdered him I wanted him dead and I killed him he was going to get us all killed asked it clarified what do you think would have happened if he had succeeded in killing young Ru do you think the demon who started this time ship would just disappeared or let us go I wanted to protest to counter his argument to get him to punish me for this horrific crime I just committed but I couldn't say anything my brain was turning into msh we heard shouting in the distance come on get up the villagers are going to be upon us in any second now we still have a job to do Astic said as he helped me get up I followed him listlessly as we ran around the Gathering mob and made our way to ru's house the only thing I remember from that time is atic walking up to me and telling me she wasn't there she's not there gone to S Punch's house ran and kosar's daughter is friends with Ru he said I nodded absent mindedly it's not all your fault asked exad while we were jogging some of the blame lies on me too I was the one who decided to hide rora's death from the others forced you to go along with my decision I held Sundar down while you just don't blame yourself for it this is an extraordinarily [ __ ] up situation okay I didn't say anything because I I didn't know what to say I knew he was being a good brother and helping me cope but I just couldn't asting knocked on the S Punch's door it's only yesterday we stood outside this door when we first came to 1998 but it felt like it had occurred eons ago Raman Pell opened the door looking shocked as he saw us what are you doing here at this hour he asked can we come in Astic asked as he looked nervously at the crowd heading towards sundar's murder spot RAR nodded and let us in where's Ru I asked Ru meal she's with Padma my daughter why what happened he asked her family is going to be lynched that's what the mob was gathering up for Ark explained we need to get her to safety no that can't be right Raman said surely they wouldn't go that far I mean yes this Village has had problems with castism all along but not this please asked it beged we don't have the time we need to move quickly what's happening young coralia asked us as she came out of her bedroom coralia get Ru and patma Raman said you're going to your mother's house she complied immediately and went to to wake up the girls as Roman moved to retrieve his car keys which he then handed over to his wife who had the two children now huddled around her looking scared and confused go go go Raman said as he bundled them into his car we could hear the Death Rows of ru's parents as the car slowly left the village and disappeared off into the darkness I'm going to check what's happening out there Raman said after kosala and the kids had left and walked off to Ward the mob where he was going to soon run into our past selves outside ru's house and get confused as to how we got there so quickly and then terrified when he'd see us disappear he would take this secret to his grave and I think he'd only begin to understand what happened here 20 years later when he himself will be sent back in time to the 19th century by a demon summoned by the young girl whose life he' just saved only to be murdered by the then inhabitants of the village who in turn would laid a snap out of their possession and abandoned The Village after seeing the strange corpses that to them had appeared mysteriously Calia would be the only one to survive from this Village and only because Ru is going to see her as the one who helped her that infernal night what's taking so long Astic asked huh I looked at him confused as I was suddenly brought out of my revery didn't take this long for Ru to get us to 1998 what's taking this long now we looked at each other and ran to the panchayat office desperately hoping she was okay Shivers ran down my spine as we came back to the office where we'd left her standing outside the office was the [ __ ] bear and the Monstrous demon sitting at top it who led out a heart stopping Screech the moment it spotted her part six it felt like roots are Sprout as from the SS of my feet and bued deep underground locking me firmly to the spot as I saw the bear stalk me getting ready to pounce yet my knees continued to tremble in fear the snake wrapped around the arm of the demon riding the bare hist as its beady little eyes glinted Dangerously In The Moonlight we need to make a run for it Astic whispered keeping his mouth as shut as possible while still being able to communicate go around the back of the office and run up to our rooms my head bobbed almost imperceptibly the one sideways glance at my brother and I knew he knew I'd heard jov's gun upstairs he whispered as he took off running with me hot on his heels the bear roared the demon screeched and the snake hissed as our infernal tormentors pursued us trying their hardest to catch us and brutalize us we ran around to the back of the building with my neck beginning to get warm with the bed stale breath just as I crossed the threshold of the office and Artic slammed the wooden door shut putting all of his weight against it oh go go he screamed as his body shook each time the bear slammed against the door like a living battering ram I ran up jumping over two stairs at a time using the dust riddle railing to pull myself up my heart pounding as hard as the rickyy door dead each time the bear crashed into it I sprinted into Czech off's room and began fumbling around desperately searching for the gun in his luggage with trembling hands oh please be here please be here my hand brushed against something cold and metallic and I pulled it out thanking the stars for my luck when the pistol came into view I heard the door groan something terrible as it finally gave way under the persistent attacks by puran's pet the dusty floor made me slip and fall down to my hand and knees as I began running back to the staircase I stumbled again while descending the steps my ankle twisting painfully as I missed a step and came tumbling down the last stretch but thankfully I'd held on to the gun the bear showing a surprising amount of dexterity with his clawed Paws grabbed Astic by the legs and pulled him outside in one fluid motion with my brother's scream sounding distant almost instantly I limped onto my feet and hobbled out of the office drawing the weapon and aiming it in the general direction of the bear before pulling the tricker and jov's gun Jam I almost started hypervent as the slide caught awkwardly on the barrel and refused to budge even as I tried pulling it backwards manually the bear held Astic down forcefully while I was struggling with a pistol its claws digging into his flesh making him scream louder the demon dropped down from the Bear's back and began walking towards Astic in a leisurely manner seemingly enjoying my brother's suffering I screamed in frustration and decided just to use the gun as a makeshift club and started to hop towards the demon using my good leg Bron saw me and screeched his voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard the pain making me close my eyes by the time I opened them again the bear was inches from my face before it slammed into me and began tearing chunks off my body and then bit me on the shoulder I almost passed out as the Mind destroying Agony flooded through my body but I held on to Consciousness with sheer willpower no way not now not like this as the bear was slicing me to Ribbons the sand around me getting stained with blood my mind was focused elsewhere Astic jumped up and swung his fist at puran's jaw who easily grabbed it and began pounding him into submission crushing his nose and turning his face into bloody pulp as he rained down blow after blow with his hammer-like fists I put all of my soul into resisting the bear wanting needing to get to where Astic was to try and save him in any way I could but it wasn't enough my strength was nothing in comparison to the hell Beast slashing away at me the last thing I saw before the Lights Went Out was purson kneeling on ark's chest pulling on his skull with all his might as blood came gushing out of his nose and mouth I thought I died but then the pain came back forcing me back to reality while threatening to send me back to unconsciousness at the same time ru loomed over me her eyes wide with worry as she cradled my wounded body Artic I whispered my body not allowing me to scream like I wanted to where is it he's not here she said Softly As she held back tears I can only shift the living I nodded silently I'm so so sorry she sobbed it's all my fault everything I wanted to console her but the words were stuck in my throat held back by a rough mixture of pain and grief my body was growing cold I knew I was done for no she said not like this I can fix it I can fix this no one has to die oh what are you I groaned but it was clear she wasn't listening she had this fanatic gleam in her eyes like she was about to jump into the deep end of the pool again I'm going back she said firmly I'm going back to when I first summoned that demon and stop myself I'm going to save you I'm going to save everyone just you wait I wanted to protest but she'd walked away from me to sit in an isolated corner somewhere and concentrate where are we I wondered have we come back to the present I turned my head and looked at the ruins I'd seen when I first came to kulhara and got my answer I would have felt relieved if it hadn't been for the gaping hole in my chest both metaphorical and literal I put my head back on the ground and drifted In and Out Of Consciousness staring longingly at the foggy blue sky with splashes of pale sickly orange spilling across it are you just going to give up now you [ __ ] I looked up at ay smirking at me and urging me to climb the little Hill he was already halfway up He adjusted his helmet and signaled with his gloved hand beckoning me to put aside my fear of heights and Folly don't think about anything else just fight your waya fight fight my eyes shot open as the dream ended on that weird note no I didn't want to die not here not like this I gritted my teeth put my weight on my elbows and gingely got on my feet pain exploded in my legs but I fought through it and began limping out of the village I wobbled I stumbled my legs almost gave out multiple times but I fought through it and made my way out onto the road I hobbled through the dense fog for what felt like hours before I saw a car approaching me I blinked wiped the blood and sweat off my eyes and waved my arms to get the attention of the driver he must have been drunk or something because he didn't stop and I had to jump out of the way at the last second falling into a ditch near the road the car swerved and almost ran off the road and I breathed a sigh of relief both of the fact that there wasn't an accident and that I might be saved soon I heard voices painfully familiar voices Galia says she saw something saw what she says she's not sure but he was covered in blood help help me I wanted to scream but no sound came out because you're [ __ ] drunk my eys closed and I fell into a deep probably endless Slumber and the next time I woke up I was here luia said pointing to his sterile surroundings who brought you here I asked the doctor said it was a farmer from the nearby Village Who come out to inspect his field I don't remember any of it he answer I quickly and silently said a prayer of thanks to that Good Samaritan for saving my brother not everyone would have been willing to help a wounded stranger lying on death's door in a ditch somewhere on the side of the road so I began finally trying to confront the question I'd been avoiding for so long is he really gone asked him his eyes began to water and I got my answer I put my head in my hands and wept for my brother what about that girl who started all this Ru I asked after I'd some compose myself Gara is still a fameless abandoned Village isn't it lakia asked with bitter sarcasm in his voice it's safe to assume she failed and that thing is still running around freely I nodded you know what that means right laa SP after all this it turns out that I was the Lone Survivor of the village that disappeared over 200 years ago [Music] and so once again we reach the end of tonight's podcast my thanks as always to the authors of those wonderful stories and to you for taking the time to listen now I'd ask one small favor of you wherever you get your podcast from please write a few nice words and leave a festar review as it really helps the podcast that's it for this week but I'll be back again same time same place and I do so hope you'll join me once more until next time sweet dreams and bye-bye [Music] [Applause]

Channel: Dr. Creepen's Dungeon

Views: 4,771

Keywords: dr creepen dungeon, dr creepen vault, dr creepen military

Id: mFlSRY9U3DM

Length: 122min 33sec (7353 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 08 2024