If it wasn't for Edha always carrying around her hospital ID, assistant inspector Das' suspicion would've definitely reached the skies and the consequences of that, Kumaran couldn't and didn't want to guess. Thanks to that, Inspector Das didn't identify them as threats or people who were up to anything but good.

Rather than talking with strategy or beating about the bush to get to a point indirectly — which was something he didn't want to do then given his impatience — Kumaran straight ahead told Das that his neighbour was the reporter Shilpa Shukla and she recently underwent something that was similar to his own experience with the late inspector, including the fact that Pankaj had died. He explained to him that he and Edha were there to ask him about what actually happened with the inspector the day he shot himself after the assault so that they can help Shilpa. At that point, mentioning anything about the whole series of events being paranormal seemed a stupid idea; for all he knew, he might've been tagged as a superstitious fool or a fraud yet again, and that was something that wasn't preferable if he wanted to learn anything from the assistant inspector.

Das patiently heard him out, and even though he didn't seem to see the point in the interrogation, he invited him and Edha into his home.

The house seemed quite old inside, minimal maintenance everywhere. The walls were light blue in colour and scraped at places. The furniture was in good shape but probably was decades old, at least that was true for that CRT television which had the undivided attention of the elderly person sitting silently with a bent back on the noisy rocking chair — probably Das' grandfather. He didn't notice Das or them when they entered, not even after Das said that he had returned. He was that engrossed watching some old television show of his.

The peaceful scent of incense sticks was about the house, originating from a shelf full of neatly arranged prayer items, nailed on a wall designated to praying, adorn with beautiful portraits and a shelf.

Kumaran's eyes took a quick tour round the house, scanning the visible areas of the house, sensing and searching for the slightest hint of paranormal activity. However, there was none to be found — nothing other than Das' aura; it was tainted with vestiges of foreign energy like Shilpa.

"What are you searching for?" Das squinted at him.

"Hmm, thinking how old this house is." Kumaran lied, casually shoving his hands into his pocket.

"The house owner said it was built twenty years ago," Das replied as he opened the door into his room and waved his arm, gesturing them to enter.

Kumaran and Edha filed into the room. It was a bedroom, and the police uniform hanging on the wall made it obvious that it was Das'. Even the office like arragment of it  conveyed that — the cabinets, the tall piles of files and paper standing besides open books heavy over a long table, a big bookshelf, the small desktop table.

A big portrait of Lord Hanuman hung over the portrait above the steel bed. In the portrait, Lord Hanuman was sitting on one knee, opening his chest with his hands and revealing the beautifully eternal couple of Devi Sita and Lord Ram.

Das closed the door halfway behind him and showed two wooden chairs to Kumaran and Edha. "Take a seat." He sat on his bed.

Edha awkwardly sat on the chair near the table. Kumaran brought the other chair closer to her since he knew if he sat a little away her nervosity might end up fainting her wits.

"So, what did you want to ask me?" Das folded his arms across his broad chest.

"Well, before that," Kumaran sat slowly, eyes still scanning the room. "I thought we'd talk in the hall?" He pointed his finger in the hall's direction.

"My grandfather is sitting there, and you said you wanted to ask about that incident back in the station. I prefer not to talk of that near him; he was shaken when that happened."

"Oh, so that's why." He scratched his nose.

"Now." Das cleared his throat. "What is it that you wanted to ask about again?"

"About the station incident as we said before," Kumaran leaned forward, resting his elbow on his laps. "You see, Shilpa was also assaulted by Pankaj, but she survived 'cause I was there. It was after that, Pankaj jumped out the window of her hospital room. During this whole thing, Pankaj, she didn't seem like herself. I heard from the cops who had come to investigate that something similar happened back in the station between you and the inspector. So, can you tell us about that if you don't mind, inspector?"

Das briefly evaluated him, and then he looked at the red thread tied around his strong, pulpy wrist. "Hmm, yes. The inspector did behave weirdly. He had this savage, wicked look on his face. I never quite saw him like that ever. He was a very good senior, so inspiring, honourable, patriotic, and always firm. He was always this level-headed person, more sane than anyone I've ever met. His logic made him defy even religion. To him, law was truth. I never thought he'd be one to lose his mind like that. That night, he was everything that wasn't anything like him. He was evil, crazy, lunatic, psycho, sadist, and all such negativity incarnate..."

"And he hurt you?" Kumaran asked.

"You can see this, right?" He showed his bandaged forehand.

"I mean, he tried to kill you?"

"Hmm, yes that was his intention. He was going to finish me. I wasn't able to do anything to defend myself. Thank Lord Hanuman others came just in time to save me. I still cant believe what happened that night."

"Weren't able to defend yourself?"

"Yes, he was stronger. My strength seemed so little near his. He tossed the table at me like it was a child's stuff toy. Hand to hand, there was no point in even trying. I told him to stop, but he didn't listen. He said things that the Inspector I knew would never say."

"What did he say?" Kumaran squinted.

"I don't really remember it word for word. At the time I was struggling for my life. But it was something like 'why kill one when I can go for two?' Or something like that. His voice when he spoke..." Das paused and gulped, his eyes lost in the past. "You may not believe me. You may say I'm crazy. But it wasn't his. It was... demonic."

"Hmm," Kumaran nodded contemplatively. "Actually officer, I do believe you. The things you mentioned, Pankaj did the same when I was defending Shilpa."

"Wait, what? Did same?" Das frowned.

Kumaran shrugged.

"You mean overwhelming strength, demonic voice—"

"All of it."

"That can't be possible. How can you, an average boy fend off such strength alone? You aren't even like me."

Kumaran smiled momentarily and left the question unanswered , "Did he say anything else?"

"Hmm, yes. When others saved me, he put his gun to his head, and he smiled at me. He said that my time will come, and he said he will make it horrible..."

The wind suddenly blew so hard outside that the windows of the room clattered wildly and the thin curtains eerily flailed in slow motion.

Das' head whipped in the direction of the window.

The darkness out the window made him uncomfortably shift in his position. He seemed to have paralysed with fear.

"Inspector." Kumaran addressed him a bit loudly to make him come to his senses.

He turned back to him, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Uhhh, the way you speak of all this, the way you've got that holy thread on your wrist," Kumaran pointed at the red thread on Das' wrist, "and the portrait of Lord Hanuman over your bed; do you believe in divine forces and even evil forces?"

"Hmm," Das shook his head. "I am not superstitious, but I do know that this world has things our eyes can't see, and our ears can't hear."

Kumaran clapped his hands once and looked at Edha with a broad smile, "Finally! Someone who understands!"

She frowned at him with wide eyes, shaking her head slowly.

He understood at once why she was doing that; he shouldn't have acted so, not then.

He glanced at Das and found that he had earned an awkward and confused look from him.

Kumaran cleared his throat and did something with his hand, as if brushing away some imaginary thing in the air, "Forget what I just did. What I meant was — you are a believer then?"

"Yes. But why is that even important? You are here this late at night, two strangers asking me things. Why do you want to know all this?"

"Well, first of all," Kumaran ran his hand through his silky hair, setting them back, "I think you already know why that's important. You know it already, and I think you maybe even saw something back in the station, something other than the Inspector, but you don't wanna say."

Das' frown deepened and his squint narrowed. 

"I can tell, you have more perception that most. You sometimes see things, or at least maybe feel things, things others can't. Don't you?"

"What are you coming to say?" The inspector got annoyed.

Kumaran shot him a smile, "Want me to straight forward? Sure. You're haunted, an evil is after you. And you know it."

Das was dumbfounded, and his shock was all over his face. It was clear to Kumaran that he had just spoken the truth he was hiding.