Chapter 31: The Past Unraveled

It was evening when Mr. Patil arrived at his home, tired by the traveling. He was an old man in his sixties. He was unaware that someone was keeping a watch on his house. It was the killer, he wore a black mask and covered himself with a black shawl. He was ready to hunt the old man down and get the fifth, the original fourth part of the key. He waited for the night. And as the night fell and everyone closed their doors, the killer strided towards the old man's house. There was complete darkness in his house. It seemed like the old man went to sleep. Using his tricks, the killer managed to open the door. He silently went inside and closed the door. It was dark inside, he used his flashlight to search for the switchboard to turn on the lights. As he turned on the light, he was welcomed with a mighty blow of wooden stick on his head delivered by none other than Shiva. The killer held his head, the attack didn't really seem to be any effective on him. He looked at Shiva who was holding the wood tightly. The killer burst out with laughter.

" I can understand, now that your plan is completely failed you are on the verge of losing your mind," said Shiva confidently.

" Oh, you really think so?," said the killer as if he was ready for this.

The killer took out his knife and charged at Shiva to tear him apart. Shiva luckily managed to dodge the attack. The slow movements of the killer made it easy for Shiva to predict his next move. Although the killer was aged but he was deadly. He seem to be practiced in handling knife.

" You piece of shit!," yelled the killer as he again charged on Shiva.

Shiva decided to use the long wooden stick as his advantage to attack the killer by keeping safe distance. He tried to land a lethal blow right on the killer's head but it missed. The killer dodged the stick and by now he had come close to Shiva. Shiva hoped at back eventually dodging another swing of knife. Shiva took a breath and charged at the killer who was baffled by his sufdden move. Shiva swung the wood and delivered a blow on the killer's right shoulder. Taking that blow, the killer swung his knife, leaving a cut at Shiva's gut. Shiva then again swung the wood and gave a painful blow right on the temple of the killer. The killer was taken aback while Shiva checked the cut. It was not that deep but it was bleeding. The killer regained his composure. " You bastard!," said Shiva as he charged at the killer ready to strike his head as his lifted the wooden stick high but the killer used the expert move and kicked Shiva in his chest making fall down on the floor losing the wooden staff.

" You're dead kid," said the killer who was now slowly walking towards Shiva.

The killer was going to get Shiva but a powerful strike on his head stopped him. He turned around to see it was Mohan. He furiously charged at Mohan swinging the knife but Mohan dodged the attack and once again gave a strike on his back while dodging. And then he charged at the killer but the killer held his wooden staff and threw it away and landed a deadly punch at Mohan in his guts making him fall.

" Piece of shit," the killer scoffed.

As soon as the killer turned around he recieved a fatal blow straight on his face. It was Shiva. The killer once again attacked Shiva with the knife which Shiva successfully dodged. The killer killer again did the same but this time he knew how Shiva would dodge and as Shiva was going to dodge the blow he held Shiva tight and swung the knife across Shiva's chest leaving a deep cut. Shiva somehow managed to push him back. Just then the killer recieved a strike on his hand making the knife fall. He turned back only for Mohan to thrust the wood into his stomach. However it didn't cause any bleeding but it surely made his guts hurt. The killer then tried to stand straight but then he recieved another blow by Shiva who was bleeding. The killer decided to run away, he pushed Mohan on Shiva and rushed to the door and ran away.

" Are you okay?," asked Mohan to Shiva.

" Yes, I'm fine, let's catch that dirty scoundrel!,"

The killer ran towards the forest with his head spinning due to the effective blows by Shiva and Mohan. Shiva and Mohan were running on the top of their speed. They could see the killer now. They had reached near the forest by now. As Shiva got a little close to him, he threw his wooden staff at the killer, striking at his back and making him fall down.

" Got him!," said Shiva.

The killer got up and took the wood which Shiva threw at him. The both boys charged at the killer but he swiftly dodged Mohan and landed a fatal strike on Shiva's shoulder making him stagger back. He then turned around at Mohan who was going to strike him but once again he used his expert move and kicked Mohan on his chest. Mohan fell back. Shiva got up and attacked the killer who was unaware. He managed to land several powerful punches and disarm him. But the killer then punched him on his chest making the cut hurt even more. " Aghh!," Shiva yelled in agony. Watching this, Mohan furiously charged at the killer but someone pulled him behind making him fall.

" Ahh, there you are," exclaimed the killer with joy on the arrival of his accomplice.

The accomplice took out his knife just then a flying staff hit on his head. It was Shiva who now was charging at the killer. The killer swung the staff but Shiva dodge it easily and punched him on his nose making him. Meanwhile Mohan got time to get up and equip himself with the staff that Shiva had thrown. The accomplice charged at him and Mohan did an unexpected move. He threw the staff at the killer's accomplice and just then Abhishek and Girish held his both hands.

The killer tried to punch Shiva but his hand couldn't move, it was held by Ramkrushna who turned him around and landed several punches straight on his face.

It was all Shiva's plan, it hadn't gone as he expected but it worked. It was when Abhishek had found Shiva's diary. Shiva explained him everything and then they made this plan.

Abhishek and Girish held the accomplice while Ramkrushna held the killer. They were wearing masks. Ramkrushna waited no more to see who the killer was. He unmasked the killer.

" What!?," Ramkrushna gasped not believing his eyes.

Ramkrushna couldn't believe. It was his friend, Mr. Pandey. He was the killer and the conspirator behind the spirit.

" How could you do this Pandey!?," Ramkrushna spoke, his voice reflected both disbelief and anger.

The killer scoffed. " You can't blame me, we were giving the fruits of your sin,"

" What?,"

" Don't act as if you don't know anything, twenty years ago, you and your brother killed my best friend, Thackeray!,"

Shiva was taken aback at the mention of his father as a murderer. He felt his heart racing. He wanted to know what had happened twenty years ago.

" What is he saying Uncle?," asked Shiva to Ramkrushna.

" Kid...," Ramkrushna couldn't say anything.

" Hey kid, your dad and this man had murdered my best friend and this child's father!," said the killer as he pointed at his accomplice.

" No!," Ramkrushna gasped and looked at the accomplice, he was tearing up now.

" My dad killed Mr. Thackeray?," Shiva questioned Ramkrushna.

" No he didn't, Thackeray's deeds led him to his death, his hunger for wealth did it,"

" What?," asked a completely clueless Shiva.

" Yes, he wanted the original idol of Goddess Vasusthala, he wanted to sell it, he somehow knew that your dad had the key, he set up the fire and planned to kill your family, Amish and I had to kill him for safety of the village or else he would have awaken the curse,"

Ramkrushna then realized something, he turned to Mr. Pandey. " What do you mean when you said I killed his father?, who is he?,"

Ramkrushna was now pointing to the accomplice.

" Hey kid, just take off your mask," said the killer in a fatherly voice.

His accomplice obeyed him and slowly removed his mask and as he removed his mask everyone stood dumbstruck except Shiva who was looking like a maths professor who had solved a complex theorem.

Ramkrushna stood there, his eyes wailing up and he was on the verge of crying and everyone else stood frozen in disbelief. They thought they were dreaming, they couldn't believe their own eyes. Was this the boy who was helping the killer? Did he really do this? They could not believe that this boy was helping the killer.

He was Varad.