“Curse of the Blood Moon”

It was a dark, dense night, and the rain was pouring down relentlessly. The wind was so fierce that if a thin person or a small animal happened to pass through, they could easily be blown far away…! It was a forest road — deserted and twisted — where Vrishti’s car was speeding recklessly. The way the car was racing, it seemed as if neither the car was going to stop today, nor was Vrishti, sitting inside, going to survive. From the way it was moving, it was clear she had completely lost control. Panic filled her eyes as she kept pressing the brake again and again, desperately trying to stop the car — to stay alive. Otherwise, one thing was certain: she would die tonight — and die horribly. That was the real fear…! Tearful and trembling, she looked ahead, then upward — “Hey Mahadev! Please save me today. I admit, I’ve never even offered you a pot of water. Every time, I made excuses and backed out. Yet you’ve always helped me, in every situation. Partner, today too I need you! Just look at your sweet, cute Vrishti — see what condition she’s stuck in today! This time I promise you, truly… I’ll fast for six whole months—” she paused for a moment, thinking— “No… that might be too much… instead, I’ll observe sixteen Mondays’ fasts!” The moment she said that, she smacked her forehead and muttered, “Ugh, I said the same thing last time too! When it came to staying hungry for just one day, forget sixteen Mondays — I couldn’t even manage sixteen hours without food!” Her sudden movement made the car lose balance, which she barely managed to control…! “Why are you taking everything so seriously, Mahadev? Alright, leave all that. I promise I’ll definitely offer you water next time. I swear on my nosy neighbor Nandan’s daughter, who can’t stop gossiping!” With tearful eyes, she said in a trembling voice, “I haven’t even lived my life yet. I thought I’d get myself a couple of cute, chubby-faced boyfriends, make them put their bank accounts in my name, wear branded clothes, and flaunt my style… but looks like all my dreams will remain unfulfilled. Mahadev, I don’t want to die so soon… Oh, and yes, you do know that I have a beauty parlor appointment tomorrow, right? I’ve already paid them too! If I die, that freeloader will get the money without doing any work!” Vrishti kept muttering to herself — random thoughts spilling out one after another. Death was right before her eyes, but her lips still echoed her wild thoughts. Whatever came to her heart or mind, she spoke aloud… And then suddenly — she twisted the steering wheel hard. The car spun out of control and flipped over to the other side of the road…! As the car spun wildly, Vrishti too was tossed around inside — rolling and crashing with the violent motion. Then, with a deafening thud, the car slammed into a tree. The impact threw her halfway out of the window. Blood trickled down her face where shattered glass had sliced her skin, and a deep wound gaped on her head. A large shard of glass was lodged deep into her shoulder. All in all, her condition was critical — her breathing had grown faint, her eyelids were slowly closing. The drizzle that had softened for a while suddenly turned into a heavy downpour again. Vrishti’s breaths grew weaker and more erratic. Between the fading rhythm of her heartbeat and her dimming sight, she saw — in the darkness ahead — a shadow… someone… walking toward her… Struggling, she tried to open her eyes — barely succeeding. Through her blurred vision, she caught a faint glimpse of that figure — and what stood out the most were its eyes: glowing, ruby-red, shining like jewels in the dark… With her fading breath, Vrishti gave a faint smile and whispered weakly, “Wow, Mahadev… you really kept your partnership. You’ve even assigned such smart and charming boys to escort souls after death! If I had survived… I’d have told everyone that Lord Yama keeps such handsome recruits for this job… then girls would start dreaming of dying more often…!” As those thoughts drifted through her mind, Vrishti’s eyes finally closed. It was as if, along with the darkness of her eyelids, her life too had sunk into darkness. That shadow stepped out of the night and halted beside her wrecked car. His gaze fell upon the vehicle — completely shattered, twisted metal and broken glass everywhere. He was entirely cloaked in black, a hood covering his head, concealing every trace of his face. Nothing was visible except those glowing red eyes — and the sharp, pointed teeth that made even his faint smile look terrifying. Amid the pounding rain and the desolate, pitch-dark night, his voice echoed — deep, cold, and spine-chilling. to be continued...