As the man emerged from the shadows, Arun's vision blurred, and he struggled to discern the stranger's features.
However, the man's voice possessed an unusual robotic quality to it, as he greeted Arun with an eerie, "How's your day, officer?" Before Arun could react, the stranger struck him with a heavy object, causing him to lose consciousness.
As his eyes fluttered open, he found himself in a sterile hospital room, nestled amidst crisp white sheets.
Doctor Lavanya's voice drifted towards him, urging him to stay still and avoid getting up from the bed. Despite his inclination to jump right back into action, the doctor insisted that he rest and recover first.
"Please, Officer, your priority right now is to rest," she implored.
With a sense of urgency, he protested, "It's not that bad, I can take it."
Dr. Lavanya gently pushed back, "Your head needs time to recuperate after losing so much blood. It's essential that you rest until you're feeling better."
Impatiently, he inquired, "How long will that take?"
"Until you've fully recovered," she replied firmly.
He let out a disheartened sigh and mumbled, "I see. But how can you be certain that I'll ever fully recover?"
Perplexed by his question, Dr. Lavanya furrowed her brow and asked, "What do you mean?"
He brushed off her concern, muttering, "Never mind."
As he lay in bed throughout the day, he couldn't help but marvel at the absence of the strange and unsettling thoughts that had plagued him since the recent incident.
Despite the traumatic experience, he found himself awash with an unexpected sense of joy and inner peace, which seemed to wash over him like a warm and soothing balm.
As Doctor Lavanya wrapped up her shift and prepared to depart, she posed a seemingly innocuous question to Arun. "Are you married, Officer?"
Arun let out a deep sigh before responding, "Yes, I was."
Curiosity getting the better of her, the doctor pressed on. "What happened?"
"We got divorced," Arun replied with a tinge of sadness in his voice.
"I'm so sorry to hear that," Lavanya said, her voice filled with regret.
Just then, a figure appeared in the doorway, causing Arun's eyes to widen in shock. As an eight-year-old girl bounded towards her mother, Lavanya's frustration boiled over. "What are you doing here?" she snapped.
The young girl simply shrugged and replied, "I was getting bored down there."
As Arun locked eyes with the child, he felt a jolt of recognition course through his veins. Without missing a beat, he blurted out, "It's you."
As the officer approached, the girl exclaimed, "What are you doing here, officer!" in an aggressive tone. The officer retorted, "Do I look like I'm here for a picnic or something?"
Lavanaya intervened and posed the question, "Do you two know each other?" with a hint of suspicion in her voice.
"I was lying on the ground unconsciously, somewhere in the forest and these bunch of annoying kids came around and starts stressing me around"
"Further, on the way I stopped them for asking some questions related to the investigation but this girl came forward and starts arguing with me"
"She tricked me. She tricked a police officer!" Arun exclaimed with sudden joy in his tone.
The girl responded with a great laugh and asked, "How in the world did you become a police officer?" Though Doctor Lavanya also smiled at this statement, she apologized for her daughter's behavior.
"Officer, I... I apologize for my daughter's silliness. She's always like that," Doctor Lavanya added.
The officer waved off the apology with a grin. "Nah, don't worry. Sometimes I ask myself the same question," he replied in a casual tone, showing that he wasn't offended by the girl's question.
As the doctor finished her shift, she informed Arun that he could contact the staff if he needed anything. Arun thanked the doctor for her assistance, but before she left, the doctor asked for the kid's name.
She replied with deep pride in her voice, "Shreya. My name is Shreya."
"Nice to meet you, Shreya," Arun greeted warmly.
"Bye, officer," Shreya waved as they left.
The following days were spent in the hospital for Arun, as he awaited his discharge. During this time, he pondered over the recent events that had befallen him, leaving him in a state of uncertainty.
He tried to recollect the face of the person who had hit him, but could only recall an unusual voice that didn't sound entirely human.
Two days had elapsed since Arun's admittance, and the moment of his discharge had arrived.
However, in the depths of his slumber, a recurring phrase had persisted, causing him unease throughout his rest: "Kill them all... Kill them all... Kill them all..." Abruptly roused, Arun found himself drenched in perspiration, feeling as though he had just emerged from a battlefield.
Concerned, a voice queried, "What happened, Arun?" Gasping for air, he struggled to compose himself.
As Arun awoke from his nightmarish state, he found himself struggling to maintain composure.
The world around him seemed to spin out of control, and the agony coursing through his being was almost unbearable.
Despite Doctor Lavanya's insistence that he should rest and take his medication, Arun was stubborn in his resolve to depart the hospital immediately.
Ignoring the pleas of the medical staff, he stumbled towards the exit, only to collapse moments later, losing consciousness as he hit the ground.
Quickly, several members of the hospital staff rushed to his aid, hoisting him back onto the bed with great care and concern.
After one and a half hours he finally became conscious, the world around him was fuzzy and spinning like a treadmill.
"Doctor Lavanya expressed her concern, 'As I told you before, you need to rest for a while.'"
Arun replied, "You're right. I should have listened to your advice."
As they spoke, an officer entered the room and announced, "Look, Shreya has sent you something. It appears to be a gift."
"I'll take a look at it later," Arun responded, not wishing to be distracted from his recovery.
As Arun conversed with Doctor Lavanya, his attention was suddenly drawn to a figure cloaked in black, who stood behind the glass window of a building adjacent to the hospital.
Despite the distance, he could discern the silhouette of the entity, yet its face remained obscured. Unsettlingly, the figure's gaze remained fixed upon him, unbroken and unwavering.
"Doctor," Arun spoke up urgently, "Look towards your left. Do you see that? Someone is watching us from the building over there."
Before Arun could react, the enigmatic figure vanished into the darkness, leaving him with an onslaught of thoughts racing through his mind.
"I could tell this was the same guy who hit me there when I was running after it"
"Do you think someone spying on you?"
"I think so!"
"Everyone seems to be gripped by fear these days," Doctor Lavanya spoke somberly, "It's not unfounded, considering the recent events in our community."
Arun inquired, "What do you mean?"
Doctor Lavanya replied, "There was a very distressing incident that occurred nearby. You may have heard of the man who was burned alive."
Arun's eyes widened in shock, "Yes, I remember hearing about that. Do you live in that area?"
"I reside just a few meters away from the scene of the crime," Doctor Lavanya responded gravely.
"We are doing everything in our power to investigate and bring justice to the victim," Arun offered his condolences, hoping to bring some sense of peace to the situation.
After Doctor Lavanya prescribed him some medication to be taken at regular intervals and advised him to minimize stress, Arun was prepared to be discharged from the hospital.
Before his departure, Arun inquired if anyone in the vicinity had any knowledge regarding the house.
He hoped that by speaking to someone in the area, valuable information would be unearthed, which could aid in the investigation.
However, his true intention was to unravel the mysteries surrounding his own experiences. He couldn't help but wonder if there was a deeper connection at play, or if everything was just a mere coincidence.
Upon returning home, Arun took a closer look at the painting, analyzing every aspect of it with great care. As he studied it, a sudden realization dawned upon him that perhaps these paintings held a message that he needed to decipher.
He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something deeper hidden within the artwork.
There were four more paintings in the box that he had yet to examine, which he knew demanded his attention.
The thought that consumed Arun's mind was to locate the old man that the doctor had mentioned, the one who had knowledge about the area and the house in question.
He knew that speaking with the old man could potentially unearth vital information for the investigation.