Kalika doesn't want to kill. Kalika needs to kill.

****

Maya was helplessly catching her breath between the moments and getting a jolt of electricity run down the back of her head during unwelcoming hours. The panic was getting out of hand, and to pair it with the raw, cruel excitement of what was going to happen made matters worse.

After returning to the Das mansion, Maya had locked herself in her room, going through the last bits of the puzzle before coming to a conclusion. The pieces she thought were missing now made sense. She knew with what to fill those gaps.

She was wrong initially. At the very beginning of the investigation, she had assumed that the killer of the Abhinoy Das and the virgin girls were one and the same. "Wrong, very wrong," she muttered under her heavy breath. "It's two different people."

Maya found herself looking at the darkness outside. Perhaps it was blacker tonight than any one before. It was nature's own way of setting up the stage. Maya could do nothing but watch.

She couldn't take law in her own hands. It was against her principles. But if someone else did it, she would definitely try to look at the case from an unbiased perspective.

A knock on the door forced Maya to push aside her thoughts. It was Ram, asking her to come down for dinner. Maya later on regretted asking Ram about Binodini Devi, because after all, he was the servant of Kalikacharan Babu, and what if this stalwart decided to alert his master about Maya's curiosity and possible awareness? The Das would unflinchingly put her to death.

Perhaps.

Or if Kalikacharan Babu really had a heart, he would soften up. Maybe he would sit down with Maya and tell her about the sins of his past, both the serene and sinister ones.

The dinner table was quiet as a winter lawn. It was the buzzing of the grasshopper that interrupted the deadly silence. Death, death, death– that was all Maya could smell and predict. Death preceded, and death will follow.

And I will be a witness. A mere witness.

Tonight the plates clanked too much and the bowls were kept with much rudeness. Ram served the dishes with such a twisted face as if he had an allergy to politeness. Mrinjay was staring into the distance, often matching his gaze with Maya, who would fake a smile whenever his eyes would land on her. Mrinjay would part his lips, whether in an attempt to speak or as a reaction of being engrossed in lustful fancies, Maya didn't know. Manihar was eating like a beast who went on a fast for a week. He gobbled down everything and even ate through the plates and bowls. Kalikacharan Babu hardly touched anything. His pensive gaze was kept in place by the shadows casted by his bushy brows.

Dinner was over without the exchange of even a syllable. Manihar was the first one to leave the table and Kalikacharan Babu was the last. Maya and Mrinjay left at the same time. Ram cleaned the table, extinguished the lamps and locked the door. The mansion was ready to go to sleep.

Only fate knew if anyone would even be able to close their eyes tonight. Maya found sounds of laughter coming out of the room of Mrinmoyee and Mrinjay. She wished the pregnant woman would be unharmed. Khirodh refused to eat. Kalikacharan Babu decided to overdose himself with wine, despite Raktim having asked him to stay away from the whipped liquid.

Maya was not on bed. She was standing in the balcony, focusing if someone went out of the gates or not. She was hypervigilant, chary of losing the opportunity to uncover the whole truth.

All of a sudden, she felt she saw a shadow cross the balcony. Swiftly she turned and followed the man. It was Manihar. He had probably not noticed her. He was so into his anger that he couldn't have.

Manihar opened the door of the mansion with his spare key and went outside. Maya followed him out too, keeping a cautious distance with the vampire. As expected, he was going towards the house of the late head priest.

Maya was overcome with worries. What if all her theories went wrong? That would mean Mohini would get no justice. What if, somehow, Manihar really got the chance to assault Mohini and maybe even kill her? Would Maya be able to do anything? Calling for help wouldn't work out then...

Unless she prayed for Chandrasekhara to come, and he really did.

"Tonight, do not turn your face away. Khatra needs you. Yes, you are a sinner, a killer, but also the protector of this village."

And yes, he came.

Perched atop a branch, with red eyes and bluish black feathers, Chandrasekhara peered into the distance. Maya stopped to look at the crow, still on alert though to not lose Manihar. And lo behold, the crow flew towards the second son of Kalikacharan Das.

It was difficult to keep in sight both of them, the crow and Manihar, and Maya eventually lost out on the former. She prayed so hard for the crow to be that something, rather someone she wished it to be. And for everything to be what she wished them to be...

Manihar ceased to walk. The house of the priest could be seen. Only a few more steps, and Mohini would be in the arms of Manihar, going through a pain she never deserved.

But it didn't happen.

As soon as Manihar began sauntering towards the house of Mohini with the confidence of a lion, a cloaked entity appeared out of the blue. It hit Manihar on the head, causing the vampire to lose consciousness. Maya immediately hid herself amidst some nearby bushes and watched intently. The cloaked man took Manihar over his shoulder and journeyed towards the forest.

Maya's feet turned cold. Would it be really wise to go into the forest, knowing wild animals would be there?

Yet, all her thoughts vanished and she smiled. Chandrasekhara had blessed her himself. He would keep her cushioned from danger.

So she walked towards the forest too.

The only thing which helped her keep track of the cloaked man was the glinting pearl necklace dangling from the neck of Manihar. However dark it be, the necklace would still be visible. Manihar's arms hung like lifeless limbs of a long-decomposed skeleton covered in flesh and skin. The cloaked man easily went through vines and sharp branches pointing out from the trees. Unfortunately, Maya got cuts on her arms, but that wasn't going to stop her.

Wild dogs howled in the depths of the forest. Maya shivered. She could fight humans with her intelligence but not escape the inhabitants of this forest by luck. Snakes slithered on the barks of old wrinkled trees. Maya's gut twinged.

"But I am going to find out the truth. I will see it with my own eyes."

And what could have been said pre-planned by destiny, a flock of crows swarmed towards Maya and blocked her from seeing the cloaked man.

"Why?" She thumped her foot and cursed. She was so close to unearthing it all and now these birds had to come?

Definitely, this was a play of magic. These crows were just giving its master some time to carry on his gruesome kill.

"Be kinder! Show some forbearance!"

Maya heard the words of Manihar. The scream was diluted by the web of thick twigs and leaves, but nonetheless could be heard clearly if one was focused. The crows all sat on different branches and covered the whole forest area that Maya could see. The birds had trapped her in a circle of sort.

"Are you doing this to keep my sanity alive? Do you think I am not ready to watch the blood and gore?"

The crows didn't answer. Maya knelt down on the soil and bowed to the birds. "I am not here to be a hindrance in the godsend kill," Maya said with a coating of sarcasm. "I need to know the truth. Do you understand that?"

Some of the crows cawed. Maya looked around to find if there was some space from where she could leave, but her ears were numbed by the monstrous shout that turned the forest grim. It was haunting, like the last call of a dying vampire. Maya ducked down as a reflex and imagined blood spurting out of Manihar's mouth and splashing all around the beleaguering forest. "Are you all besieging me?" Maya asked the crows.

As if having some mercy on her, the crows cleared the way, merging with the onyx shade of the night sky. Maya was left alone. She stood up from the forest bed and slowly walked ahead. The more steps she took, the closer she went towards peril. Soon she saw a river of blood beneath her sandals. Soon she heard the grunting and growling of a hungry man. Soon she was standing a little behind the so-called Chandrasekhara.

He had started a fire and was burning the heart of Manihar in it. When it turned to ashes, he mixed it in a pot which contained the blood of the dead vampire. The man removed his cloak, and then gulped down the blood in one go.

Even though Maya had expected to see him, she was a very much taken aback by the menacing sight. It wasn't how she usually perceived him.

The gentle, shy man...the caring healer...

The villain of villains, one who drank blood in the dead of the night...

Her feet got on a crunching twig, and with a jerk the man turned around. Maya gasped a little when she saw his red-rimmed eyes and lips covered in liquid crimson.

"Maya?" he asked in his husky voice, baring his fangs, still dripping blood. A smile tickled his lips.

To be honest, the smell of blood was stinking. "You smell real bad." Maya pinched her nose. Her eyes widened when she realised what she had just said. It wasn't what a killer would expect to hear from a detective.

Rather, a detective-cum-crush.

"Do you expect me to be aromatized in the middle of a murder?" he snapped, clearly not amused by her statement.

Maya unknowingly took two steps back. "I don't know..."

He extended his hand towards her. "Do not be afraid of me." He smirked, licking the blood on his lips. "I won't harm you."

Again, he smiled. It wasn't his usual demure beam, but what one would expect secret bad boys to look like.

Maya heaved a sigh, feeling a tinge in the core between her legs. "I know, Raktim."

Yes, 'feeling a tinge in the core between her legs'. Guess what? Maya got a little attracted. Well, like both attracted, disgusted, afraid of what she was seeing. Women are so hard to understand...

So guys, we have two killers. One, Raktim killing the Das. And two, the Das killing the girls.

It's a vicious cycle.

What do you guys have to say? Do you like doctor Raktim more or....

Dhampir Raktim more?