Are you with me

"Sujay...my boy... How are you?" I turned as my name was called and saw my boss approaching.

"I am doing well sir. How are you?"

"Good. Good. Tell me, are you enjoying the party? Have you eaten anything?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good... That's what these office parties are for. Eating and drinking,” lifting a glass in his hand, he continued, “I hope, Seema is here too. I always tell you to bring her and you never listen to me."

"No sir, it’s not like that. But she is here today, sir."


I started looking for my wife and found her standing exactly behind my boss at a distance.

She was talking to a man. I didn't seem to recognize him.

"Ummm... Sir, I think she has already made a friend here".

My boss, who had followed my line of vision, looked back at me.

"Well, that's good. Because I have brought someone to meet you so you can have a friend of your own".

"Razaa, can you come here?"

Razaa… Why did that name sound familiar to me?

Soon, Razaa was standing in front of us. I looked at her. Nothing about her stood out. Her eyes… Maybe… I am not sure. This was weird. Generally, when I meet someone, I take in their appearance and try to gauge what they must be like. Part of my preparation before talking to a stranger. But today, somehow, that sense was not functioning.

My boss introduced us and once, he was sure that Razaa and I would continue the discussion without him, he left to mingle with others. As he left, Razaa asked me if I had come alone. Somehow, everyone was interested in knowing that today. Or maybe she was just worried that my boss had put her in charge of entertaining me for the evening. 

Anyway, I looked over her shoulder to call Seema, only to discover Seema was immersed in the discussion with the same stranger.

"Ummm... My wife... She is busy talking to someone".


Razaa followed my line of vision.


"Ohh. She is talking to my friend...Azaan"


"Ohh OK." This information also did nothing to help me figure out who this person was.


"As I was saying…", Razaa continued our previous discussion.

Suddenly a blast of eerie, cold air hit me. Eerie because it came from inside. From inside my body. Almost immediately, I was shivering to my bones. Razaa was still talking to me. She seemed unfazed by my pale face and the cold that apparently hadn’t touched her.


She put her hand on mine and it burned. Her hand was cold like ice. I couldn't comprehend what she was saying. I looked up. Her eyes...


I have seen those eyes before. Where have I seen those eyes?

I felt myself fading… away… to those eyes. Last thing I remember is a whisper… her whisper…


"Hey, are you with me?"

Creek road...10 days back... That's it...

Seema and I were traveling that night. It was our first outing since we had shifted to Bangalore 4 months back. We had decided that we would hire a car since both of us love road trips. The only problem was we miscalculated the time. And now, it was almost midnight and we still hadn't reached the hotel. Seema and the driver were sure that we were lost. I was not on board with that idea.

"Ayyo, ayyo, ayyo…How did this happen! I am so sorry sir", our driver almost shouted.


"What happened?", we asked, startled.


"I don't know sir how this happened. I never take this road. Today, I don't know how sir...I think because of the hotel and the dark... Ayyoo"


"....."

" Sir, Creek Road Sir… We are on the Creek road…”

“…..”

“on the creek road, when you travel at night, you see people die Sir... People illa... Spirits... I have heard they jump off the rooftops and die...over and over again... Every day... They call you when they are about to jump. Try to get your attention. But don't look at them, sir. If you see their death, you will see the same thing over and over again in your dreams for the next 10 days sir. And on the 10th day, you die the same way, sir... At the same place sir... Creek road..."

I was thrilled. It was my first-ever opportunity to be a part of a ghost story.


One look at Seema told me she had completely believed the story. I realized I had to sacrifice the thrill for her sake.

I said, "if both of you want, we can just go back and find another hotel or take another road"


"That won't work sir. The only way is forward. We can't stop or turn back".
I didn't believe this story one bit. But at that very moment, I heard someone whisper my name from a distance. I couldn’t understand how can someone whisper something from a distance, yet I was about to turn instinctively. Seema held my hand tightly just before I could turn. It felt like I was in some kind of trance.

What just happened? 

" Sir, don't look anywhere else but straight or down".


I was still looking at our joined hands. We started hearing our names getting called almost every 5 minutes now. Each time in a more terrifying way than before. Some calls were whispers. Some were heart-wrenching screams. By now our joined hands had turned white, partly with fear and partly because of the tight grip.


"No, no, no, no... please no… don’t look ahead", our driver started panicking.

I looked up and there was a lady standing in the middle of the road with our car rapidly approaching her.

"Stop the car, Jeeva", I yelled.


"I can't sir", our driver cried. I think he had already closed his eyes.


"We are going to hit her. Stop".


"She is not alive sir. We can't stop Sir. Don't look. Turn your face away sir"


I couldn't. We were approaching her fast. I could see her face now. Her eyes. Helpless. Desperate. Vulnerable. Terrified.

"Noooo... Stop the car".


"...."

I couldn't take my eyes off her face. There was a single tear before we hit her. I don't remember whose eyes had teared up. Mine or hers…

Just after we hit her, there was a distant cry.

"Razaa....."


And then...

_Thud_

I couldn't look that direction even if I wanted to. But my wife looked before she could stop herself. I was still looking into Razaa's eyes even though she wasn't there anymore.

Razaa's eyes... I was still looking into them. 

"Hey, are you with me?"

I looked around. We were not at a party. We were on the Creek road. Standing right in the middle of the road. I was hunched over because of the cold. Razaa was there with me.

Seema... where was Seema?

I looked over Razaa's shoulder. Seema was still talking to the stranger... Razaa's friend. But this time, she was standing on a rooftop with him. At the edge. Quite oblivious to where she was standing.

No, no, no, no... It was all clear now.

Today was the 10th day.


"Hey, are you with me?"

"No, no, no... I don't want to be here. Please, no. Let Seema go. Let me go. Please..."

"Sujay... You don’t understand… It's the other way. You are holding on to me. Let me go. I want to die. One final death. Please let me go.”

I... I didn't know what to do. I looked at Seema. She was still not looking at me. She had joined hands with the person she was talking to. As if they were ready to jump off the rooftop. Still talking…


I looked at Razaa. Eyes begging for help. Desperate. Vulnerable. Helpless. Terrified. I don’t know whose eyes. Mine or hers…

I looked around to see if anyone could help me.


There was no one in sight. That's when lights flashed at a distance. There was a car coming...