DATE

I rushed back to the police station on seeing the exact same birth mark on the kid. That was the fastest I have ever drove... "Excuse me officer" I called out to the officer even before I could enter the station. "Ugh this tosser again" I could see that he was disturbed on seeing me.."What do you want?" I could barely understand his british accent but thank god I've watched enough karl urban. "Sir i got something important to show you... " I took out the kid's photograph from my pant's pocket. "What do you got there?" He raised his eyebrows to point at the photograph. "It's the missing kid's photo and ther—" "Wait wait wait" He interrupted me and took that photograph from me like I'm some kind of a criminal. "What's your deal with this kid?... Why are you doing the police's job? " I noticed a vein has popped up on his forehead. I tried to explain him what I found "Sir.... It's very important that you have to!listen to me" but he wasn't ready to give a damn about what I had to sa, but before u could finish he pulled me closer to him by holding on my shirt's collar "Look here you little cunt.... We all have been workin' our asses off with these 2 fucking cases, if you show your face again in this station I'm gonna fuckin' break your face" He wasn't ready to listen to me so it was pretty clear that i had to find out what's going on all on my own. I went straight back to the kid's house to know more about him. I knocked at the door and his mom opened the door.... It seemed like she was still crying. "You found something about him????" She asked me with her wet eyes. "No mam.... I've been trying and i just need some more. Information about kevin." She asked me to come in and went inside and took a trunk box and placed it on the table in front of me. "This box has everything you need I hope" I asked her If i could take it with me and she said yes. I promised her that I'll return the box soon but all she wanted me to bring back was her son. I took the box and went to my apartment. Vick was laying down on the couch scrolling through his phone. "What's that?? " Vick asked me about the box. "It's uh... Somethinh personal I guess" He was suspicious of it. I took the box to my room and closed the door. I opened the box and the first thing I noticed was a Polaroid of Kevin and his mom... KAREN AND KEVIN was written on the polaroid. That's when I realized I'm such a dumb mf that i didn't even cared to ask her name. While checking through the box I've been getting deja vu but it wasn't a big deal coz i get it for everything... I mean... Everything. it had plenty of photographs in there and in some of the photos the birthmark was visible... It is quite normal for multiple people to have same birthmark but this is exactly the same... That's what driving me crazy. "Peter... Hey pete" Vick called me out. When I opened the door that arrogant british officer was standing outside the door."come with me" He started walking outside and i followed him. He asked me to get into his car. "Officer... What's going on? " "Get in... I'll tell ya" He started driving. "That kid... He is dead" the officers words went inside my ear like it drilled my brain. "Whaatt? When? How do you know?" I was shocked on hearing what he said. "found him dead near the old factory, kid's neck was snapped and... Uh... Well his left eye wasn't there" I couldn't process all he said I couldn't understand what the fuck is going on. "Wha-uhmm... " I couldn't speak, only breath came out when I tried to. "I need to know why you've been obsessed with this kid... " the officer looked me dead in the eye. "That's what I've been trying to tell you for a long time sir... Can we please I gotta show you something." He drove me back to the apartment. I showed him the kid's photographs and his birthmark and showed my birthmark to him too. He was surprised on seeing that. "Holy fuck" he whispered on looking closely at the picture and my birthmark. "This is sooo fucked up... That old wanker and the kid that went missing years ago and the kid went missing a day ago and you... All you have the same fucking birthmark and you're the only one alive now Fuckkkk" i just realised what he said is true and I'm the only one alive with this birthmark and that is really so fulcing creepy. "Listen to me a'ight you ain't going anywhere without my permission and right now you're coming with me and you're gonna have to stay at the station as long as I want you to be." I don't understand if he's trying to protect me or gonna accuse me. We went to the station and he asked me to wait there, I waited there for more than 4 hours and then he came and took me to see the kid's deadbody. The old mans body was also there and that place stinked so much. I looked. Closely at the birth marks on the 2 bodies and I couldn't believe iam actually seeing this. "Did you inform the kid's mom?" I was worried about karen to be honest."No... I want you to do that... " I was so fucking annoyed on hearing that."What the actual fuck?... I can't do that... It's your job to do that... I can't I'm not doing it.. I'm not." He took me outside and holded me closely on my shoulder "Listen kid.... I can't do it... I'm not really good in such situations and I can't trust such a thing with other police in the station... You've already met her so it's gonna be a lot more easy for you please" He convinced me to go to karen and inform her son's death. He gave me his car's keys and asked not to stop anywhere else and come back as soon as possible. I could say that he is really worried that I'm gonna die somehow cos I have the birthmark, can't blame him. I reached her house.. I could hear my heartbeat very clearly and I was sweating like a pig. I knocked at her door and a kid opened the door. "What the fuckkkk" It was Kevin who opened the door "Who are you?" Karen asked me politely with a smile. My brain froze on seeing Kevin there... I just saw him lying dead there and here he is fully alive and smiling and most of all karen is also smiling. I felt like I'm losing control over myself I ran back to the car and went straight back to the station and when I got out of the car, the car was different. I couldnt understand what the fuck is going on.. I ran inside the station and I went straight to the chief's cabin. On seeing me he stood up from his chair "What's wrong kid?? Who are you? " "It's me... Sir I'm pet—" That's when I noticed the calender behind him... The date on the calendar was 12-06-2024 but I clearly remember today is 19-06-2024. I asked him about the calender and he got mad. "You ran in here like someone shot you and ask me about a fucking calender, you fucking outta your mind wanker? Get the fuck outta here" He pushed me out of the station. I took the car,on the way i tried checking all the sources of today's data and all of it showed the date as 12-06-2024, I googled the date and it was 12-06-2024 but I clearly remember today's date is 19-06-2024 pulled over somewhere in the middle of the road and I noticed that's the same place I found out about the kids birthmark. I got out of the car and sat on the road holding the kid's photograph... I don't know that the fuck is going on... The kid is alive... The officer doesn't remember me... The date's different... "Did I fucking time travelled or something????"

To be continued

Aswin Das