Cherreads

Chapter 33 - “The Enemy Within”

Vijay, whoever it is… let it go.

Anyway, that person is not your enemy.

Sometimes, people close to us make mistakes.

We should ignore them, otherwise even the best relationships get ruined.

Alka… who are you talking about?

Someone close to me?!

Please tell me clearly.

But even after Vijay keeps asking again and again, Alka doesn't give him a clear answer.

However, she does plant a seed of doubt in his mind.

Now Vijay keeps thinking—

Who was Alka talking about?

My family doesn't even live here.

They all live abroad, and they don't even know about my relationship with Alka.

Then who?!

Vikash and Ajay?!

No… why would they attack Alka?

What reason could they possibly have?

Whenever Alka was attacked, both of them were with me.

Then who is it that Alka knows about but doesn't want to tell me?

Could she be talking about Anam?

But why would Anam have any enmity with me?

Still, right now, there's no one else I can even suspect besides Anam.

I have to find out.

I can't afford to make another mistake that could put Alka in danger.

Vijay gets Anam's full background checked—

all her relationships, her daily routine,

who she met ever since Alka arrived there,

and whom she has been in contact with.

But even after gathering all this information, Vijay finds no clue.

It was time for Alka's medicine.

Vijay hands some tablets to Vikash and says—

"Hey Vikash, please give these tablets to Alka. It's time for her medicine."

Vikash goes to Alka's room to give her the medicine.

As Alka takes the tablets from his hand, she keeps staring at him.

Vikash ignores it and tries to leave, but Alka calls out—

"Listen."

"Hm?"

"Why do you want to kill me?"

"Alka, your health isn't good right now. You shouldn't joke like this.

Take care."

"I'll take care of myself… but you should be careful too.

What if, while planning to kill me, you end up creating trouble for yourself?"

"And by the way… the man you sent to kill me is already dead."

Hearing this, fear is clearly visible on Vikash's face.

But he forces confidence and says—

"I don't know what you're talking about.

You need rest. Just relax."

After saying that, Vikash leaves.

But Vijay had heard their entire conversation.

When he had given Vikash the medicine, Alka had called him.

He had put her on hold.

Even after Vikash entered the room, Alka deliberately didn't cut the call—

so that Vijay would also start suspecting Vikash,

while her own name stays out of it.

Vijay thinks Alka forgot to disconnect the call

and that he accidentally overheard everything.

So… Alka suspects Vikash.

But why would Vikash do something like this?

Maybe Alka is mistaken.

But what if she's right?

Should I talk to Vikash?

But if I confront him directly, how will it look to him?

It might create a crack in our years-old friendship.

I don't think Vikash can do something like this.

I'm just overthinking because of the attacks on Alka.

Meanwhile, Vikash says to Ajay—

"Now Alka has even started speaking openly.

She said the man I hired to kill her is dead."

"So what did you say?"

"What could I say?

I avoided the topic and left."

"That means we have to kill Alka at any cost. Otherwise…

either she'll destroy us, or our friendship with Vijay."

"Hmm… you're right."

"But now, whatever attacks we make on Alka won't happen here—

they'll happen after she leaves, at her home.

There, no one will be able to help her."

"And then I'll show her how expensive it is to make an enemy out of Vikash."

"So when are we leaving from here?"

"This evening."

"Okay. Whatever you do, I'm with you."

Vijay and everyone else return from Kolkata.

Vijay goes to his hospital and gives the handkerchief for testing—the one on which the substance given by Guru Rudra had spilled.

"Listen, find out what kind of chemical compound this is and what effect it has on a person."

"Yes, sir."

Vijay is resting in his cabin when he notices an article on his computer.

That article is about the same village where he had stayed with Alka—

the one where they had wandered around the whole village looking for water.

"What?!

This is about that same village!"

As he reads, he finds out that people in that village used to experience strange, abnormal things.

Around 20 years ago, villagers had started seeing themselves dying.

Sometimes, they would find themselves in completely different places.

They would even see things that didn't actually exist.

Before Vijay could read further, Alka's call comes in.

More Chapters